A Sirius Plan
by lorixjake
Summary: Sirius has a very different reaction to hearing his godson has been attacked by Dementors. Taking matters into his own hands, Sirius struggles to navigate being a good godparent to Harry and trying to fight the war on a whole new front. (On Hiatus)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: A Marauder's plan

Sirius Black was fed up. He was sick of being stuck in his disgusting old family home. He was sick of Dumbledore and Molly Weasley telling him to stay put and reminding him not to tell his godson anything that was going on. He was sick of the sight of Snivellus and his snide comments at meetings. Now he had a letter from his godson in his hand about how he had been attacked by a dementor and had used magic. The very thing his guard were supposed to stop. When Dung had shown up babbling about dementors, Dumbledore had been summoned immediately. Sirius had shown great restraint, in his own opinion, not to strangle the useless thief who had left his godson alone. The Order of the Phoenix were all sat around the kitchen table shouting at each other and trying to make plans to bring Harry to Grimmauld Place. He sighed and put his head in his hands. There was a loud bang and everybody fell silent.

"Now, please, we shall bring Mr Potter here but we need to prepare." Dumbledore's voice rang out over the room. Sirius stifled a snort. Harry was not Dumbledore's responsibility. He was his. He needed a plan. The rest of the room began discussing plans in a much more calm manner, except Remus Lupin. The werewolf was watching his best friend with concern. He had expected Sirius to be very vocal about the removal of his godson from the Dursley's house, but he had been silent so far other than threatening to kill Mundungus.

Finally the meeting broke up and Molly bustled out to calm down Ron and Hermione who had clearly received the same letter as Sirius had. No wonder they were frantic. Remus wandered over and dragged Sirius upstairs.

"What's with you?" Remus asked. "I thought you would be very loudly advocating Harry's removal?"

"It wouldn't make any difference. None of them listen to me. Even if I'm the only person who really has any right to decide Harry's future. I'm his godfather."

"I know Sirius, but until we get you cleared…"

"It doesn't matter. Everyone here knows I'm innocent and so in my own house I should have authority for my own godson." Sirius looked up furiously. Remus nodded and then caught the glint in his friend's eye. A glint he knew all too well.

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see. I think it's time for the return of Lord Black." Sirius smirked. Remus' mouth fell open.

"Your going to claim the ring?"

"Yeah. It's the only way I can get free. They will be unable to deny the request of Lord Black for a trial of a family member. They broke their own laws not giving me a trial."

"How do you propose to do this?"

"You're going to cover for me and I'm going to sneak into Diagon Alley. I have a bank to visit. Thankfully they don't care if I'm innocent or not they just care about gold." Remus nodded.

"I will be part of the guard to fetch Harry. I'll tell the others that I had to stun you to stop you coming with us and you can go then. We will be picking him up in two days."

"Two days? Why so long?"

"Because Mad-eye is in charge of the operation." Sirius rolled his eyes. Mad-eye was good at his job but far too paranoid, something that had only gotten worse in the last year. Although, Sirius supposed he did have a good reason for that. Being held prisoner in your own trunk for nine months would make anyone paranoid. He and Remus stayed up late into the night discussing options.

"You do realise, Moony, that by doing this we are going to be working against Dumbledore?" Sirius questioned his friend. He knew the depth of gratitude and loyalty the werewolf had towards the headmaster.

"I know. I don't much like it but I can't ignore what's best for Harry. I feel so awful that I trusted Dumbledore's word that he was safe and healthy that I never checked up on him. It's clear the Dursley's don't treat him too well given how desperate he was to come and live with you. I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to know, how bad his life is during the summer. And I simply can't agree with his decision to have Harry followed and not tell him, especially after what he endured in June."

"Me too Moony. I can't believe Dumbledore let him go through that and then shipped him off to the muggles without any form of comfort or helpful advice and now he is planning on ignoring Harry all year because of this connection."

"Harry is going to need to learn Occlumency, Sirius. You know if the connection gets worse Voldemort could plant fake visions in his head. Or Dumbledore will assign Snape to teach him and that is just an accident waiting to happen."

"Yes, well Snivelly shouldn't hold a grudge for something we did to him. Harry wasn't even thought of then." Sirius growled. He could understand the hatred towards himself, but to blame Harry for looking like someone he had never even known was too much. Sirius made a mental note to owl order some books on Occlumency for Harry. "You could teach him the basics over the rest of summer couldn't you, Moony?" Sirius dragged himself from his thoughts and turned to his best friend.

"Yes. If you order him some books, I will teach him at least some defense before he goes back to Hogwarts."

"You do that and I'm going to have to teach him the pureblood customs and laws. He will need all the advantages he can get during the trial. He needs some new robes as well, first impressions always count for something. Moony will you take him to Diagon Alley?"

"Sure. We shall give him a couple of days to settle in here and I'll take him the day before the trial. It'll help him take his mind of things."

"Take him down to the main Potter vault. If he claims the Head of House ring at Gringotts then he can access it." Sirius suggested. Remus nodded and then both men decided they should get some sleep. They had a lot of planning to do and a busy few days ahead.

Two days later Remus stood amongst the other members of the guard waiting to take off and head to pick up Harry.

"Is he a good enough flyer, Remus?" Mad-eye asked.

"The best." Remus replied proudly. Together they all set off and Remus had to hide a smile as he noticed a ripple in the air as they closed the door that meant Sirius had disillusioned himself and was headed to Diagon Alley. Remus flew next to Tonks and they chatted about which route Mad-eye would try to bring them back by. Knowing his paranoia he would want to backtrack a few times in case they were followed. About thirty minutes later they landed in a muggle suburb that looked incredibly well kept. The recent sunshine had left the grass wilting a little bit but everything was still very uniform. Tonks had sent them a letter about some made up competition to make sure the muggles would be out of the house. Quickly unlocking the door Remus moved inside and undid the disillusionment charm. As they all came in and closed the door there was a crash. Swivelling around, Remus saw Tonks had knocked a plate over and he rolled his eyes in fond amusement. Then there came the click of a lock being opened from upstairs. His wolf eyes saw movement in the shadows and suddenly Harry came into view at the top of the staircase.

"Lower your wand before you take someone's eye out." Moody growled at the shell shocked boy. Remus had to stifle a chuckle at the boy's expression.

"Professor Moody?" The hesitant reply came back. Moody snorted beside him.

"Didn't exactly get around to teaching much did I? Get down here so we can see you properly." Harry, however, did not lower his wand or move. Remus could tell Moody was impressed at the boy's hesitancy. Given his favourite phrase of 'Constant vigilance' he was glad Harry didn't immediately trust that they were friendly. Not that he could do much if they weren't considering there were nine of them to collect him. Time for some reassurance.

"It's ok Harry. We've come to get you out of here." Remus called out.

"Professor Lupin?" Harry's voice was now even more confused.

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" Tonks said, annoyed. She lit her wand and Remus finally got a good look at Harry. His heart sped up as anger pulsed through him. Harry was just as skinny as he had been at the age of thirteen which was a clear sign of malnourishment. Deep purple bags were under his eyes, almost black in colour, indicated the little sleep he must have been getting. The clothes he wore were several sizes too big with the occasional hole in the t-shirt. His hair was predictably messy just like his fathers. All in all he looked like hell and Remus was angry that Dumbledore insisted on sending Harry back here. He forced a smile onto his face as he looked at the son of his best friends.

"He looks just like I expected. Wotcher Harry." Tonks called out with a beaming smile.

"I see what you meant, Remus. He does look exactly like James." Kingsley smiled.

"Except the eyes. Lily's eyes." Doge wheezed.

"You sure it's him Lupin?" Moody growled. "Ask him something a death eater wouldn't know."

"What's your patronus, Harry?" Remus asked him.

"Er...a stag." Harry looked confused at the question.

"It's him Alastor." Harry made to put his wand away as he came down the stairs but Mad-eye, predictably, told him off which started an argument between him and Tonks who liked to provoke Mad-eye every chance she got. Remus took this as a chance to speak to Harry.

"How are you, really?"

"I'm fine." Harry replied, but Remus saw the haunted look in his eyes, behind the confusion.

"Sure, you are. We are here to take you back to headquarters. I'll explain everything then we get there." He added, spotting Harry opening his mouth to ask a question. "Sirius is waiting for you, he has a lot to talk to you about." Remus lowered his voice and made sure only Harry could hear him. He saw the boys eyes widen and then he nodded in understanding. Tonks then explained exactly why the Dursley's were gone and a smug grin flitted across Harry's face. She then went with him to pack his things and the others all turned to each other after Remus had introduced everyone.

"He's a lot smaller than James at that age." Hestia frowned. "He didn't look very healthy did he?"

"No, he's clearly not been sleeping either, it wouldn't surprise me if he had been having nightmares. Albus didn't let him see a mind healer about what he saw." Remus admitted.

"Shut up. Walls have ears you know," Alastor growled at them all. "We can discuss this in the meeting when we get back." Everyone nodded and fell silent waiting for the two to come back down. Eventually Harry emerged with Hedwig's cage and Tonks was carrying his trunk. They all put disillusionment charms on again, Mad-eye did Harry's before Remus could. Then they stood waiting for the signal. Once it came they all took off and Remus smiled as he caught the low whoop Harry let out at being free.

Tonks managed to prevent Alastor taking them via Greenland and soon they arrived on the miserable lawn in front of Sirius' house. Harry looked at the note Alastor gave him but then his eyes widened as the house made itself visible to him. They all made it inside where Molly Weasley met them and ushered them all to the kitchen. Remus listened as she told Harry were to go and then quickly made his way down to see if Sirius was back yet. He was and he was currently lounging in his chair at the table opposite Mundungus.

"Now that we are all here." Dumbledore called an end to the chatter. "Severus has some important news."

"The Dark Lord has stepped up his interest in the Department of Mysteries. It's all he dwells on at the moment."

"Which means we must be extra careful. If the connection grows Harry will also become curious. I must reiterate that it would be incredibly dangerous if the boy knew the truth." Dumbledore's eyes drifted to Sirius as he said this. "Everyone must be extra vigilant when on guard duty. Kingsley, I believe it's you tonight?" The dark skinned man nodded. The spent some more time looking at the lay out of the Ministry.

"Alas, I have not been able to secure a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Fudge has just this week passed a decree that means if the headmaster cannot find a teacher the Ministry can assign one instead. I believe Fudge means to use this year to spy on Hogwarts." There were gasps and groans of frustration around the table.

"Which means the kids will learn nothing. He won't want them learning anything about defensive or offensive magic in case you are building an army to take him on." Arthur Weasley pointed out.

"Indeed, I believe that to be the case." Dumbledore said gravely.

"But this will be their OWL year." Molly grumbled. "They need to pass their exams."

"And how to defend themselves. Voldemort is back." Sirius pointed out, smirking slightly when Snape flinched at the name.

"They are just children. They don't need to be involved in war. Passing their exams should be the biggest of their worries." Molly argued.

"But it isn't. Especially for Harry. He needs to be warned that Voldemort could use their connection. Ignoring him isn't going to help the matter." He directed this last comment at the headmaster.

"I believe it for the best Sirius." Albus responded.

"The way you believe leaving him at the Dursley's for the best. They neglect him at the very best, possibly abuse him." Sirius voice was rising.

"They are his family. They wouldn't do that. He is safest there."

"Safest from Voldemort? You said he was safe because of blood magic but Voldemort now has Harry's blood in his veins? Also, you suspect someone inside the Ministry of sending the Dementors after Harry, how did they know where to go? Dementors are good at tracking, but not that good, someone knew where to send them. Does that not mean someone high up in the Ministry could find his address? Or someone who pays to have the ear of the Minister like Lucius Malfoy? Not to mention the fact that he isn't emotionally or mentally safe there. You think he would be able to sit around and discuss what happened in June with them?"

"They are aware of magic." Dumbledore deflected.

"You bloody well will not. Harry hates it there!" Sirius retorted. "The night I first met him I asked if he wanted to come and live with me. An hour after he thought me a mass murderer that betrayed his parents. He said yes with no hesitation whatsoever. He is thin beyond belief and far smaller than he should be at this age. All the signs point to neglect. You are just too blind!"

"The blood wards…"

"Mean nothing if he does not consider the place home. He ran away at the start of his third year. If that doesn't indicate he hates the place, nothing does. Those wards function on so called love. There is no love for or from Harry in that house. He considers Hogwarts his home and that place somewhere he simply has to stay during the holidays." Dumbledore paled slightly. Maybe he should take another look at those wards. "Besides, no matter what protections you put on there, I doubt this place is any less safe for him. My father warded it to the hilt and it's now under the fidelius."

"We will not discuss this now." Dumbledore said firmly. "And you will not tell Harry more than he needs to know. Goodnight everyone." With that, the meeting broke up. Molly went to call the children and there was a loud crash, followed by Tonks cursing. Sirius groaned as the portrait of his mother began screeching. He dashed out of the room with Remus and between them they got the curtains closed. He turned round to see Harry standing on the stairs, mouth hanging open slightly. They exchanged a greeting and Sirius made a comment about how he would welcome a dementor attack. He saw Harry flinch and a frown of disapproval cross Remus' face. He did admit that was a tactless comment but he knew it was expected of him from most members of the Order. Since that afternoon, when he had claimed the Head of House ring he knew he would have to act as he was expected until he could get Harry alone. He had even ordered Kreacher to clean out Regulus' old room so Harry had somewhere to stay.

As they sat down at the table, Tonks tripped and knocked a candle over on the Ministry floor plans and set them on fire. Bill was able to repair the mess and get rid of the plans, but not before Sirius caught Harry looking curiously. It was also obvious something had happened upstairs because Ron and Hermione were looking at Harry somewhat nervously as if they expected him to explode. He must have given them a talking to about the lack of news over the summer. The pair of them followed Dumbledore's request to the letter and had sent nothing but comments about how busy there were together which he knew would draw Harry's ire. His own letters had been rubbish too but he was planning on rectifying his mistake. Everyone sat down to a pleasant dinner before Sirius decided he was a little bored.

"So." He announced loudly. "I'm surprised at you Harry, I'd have thought the first thing you did would be to ask questions." The room went deadly silent. Sirius noted, amused, the disapproving look on Molly's face.

"I did. I asked Ron and Hermione but they said they are too young…"

"They are." Molly interrupted.

"They don't need to be in the Order to ask simple questions." Sirius retorted. "Harry has been stuck with muggles for a month."

"Hang on, how come Harry gets his questions answered and we've been told nothing." Fred burst out angrily. Sirius felt a surge of pity for them. He would have hated Molly for a mother. Better than his own though, he supposed.

"Harry's not even of age!" George growled.

"Sorry lads. But your parents have the final say over what you know, Harry, however, is my responsibility."

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry." Molly burst out. "You haven't already forgotten what Dumbledore said?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked, trying to keep his voice polite and probably failing.

"The bit about telling Harry, more than he needs to know." Sirius spotted an angry frown cross his godson's face at these words.

"I don't plan on telling him more than he needs to know." Sirius replied, knowing perfectly well his idea of ' _needs to know'_ was vastly different to Molly's. "He's not a child."

"He's not an adult either. He isn't James!" Remus' eyes widened. That was an incredibly low blow, even for Molly. Sirius noted Harry flinch and then a stubborn expression flashed across his face. The flinch worried him, Harry didn't really believe that Sirius thought that. Did he?

"I know perfectly well who he is, Molly." His voice was dangerous now.

"I don't think you do. You think you've got your best friend back."

"What's wrong with that?" Harry spoke up for the first time. Sirius turned to him and felt his heart break slightly.

"What's wrong is that you are most certainly not your father Harry. I have never thought of you as him despite how much you look alike, you actually have more of Lily's personality in you." Sirius told him gently.

"I do?" Harry looked at him, overly eager for these small details of his parents.

"Yes, but you are not your father. I'm your godfather and you aren't my best friend that helped me terrorise Hogwarts. You've seen and dealt with much more than your father had at your age and are so much more mature it's unbelievable."

"And you are still as school, meaning the adults responsible for you…" Molly tried again.

"Meaning I'm an irresponsible godfather?" Sirius glared.

"You've been known to act rashly. It's been hard for you to take care of Harry while you were in Azkaban." There was a sharp intake of breath, Harry's loudest of all. This ignited the remaining part of Sirius' temper. She had no right.

"I will remind you just once Molly, that this is my house. Harry is my godson. I, and only I, have the right to tell him what to do and to decide what to tell him. You may have looked after him for a couple of weeks over the summers but just because he is the best friend of your son does not give you any parental power over him. You have no right to bring up my time in Azkaban. No right at all. You know nothing of what I went through that night. I will only give you one more warning before you are unwelcome in my house." Sirius' voice was deadly quiet.

"Sirius enough. Molly, you are not the only person in this place that cares for Harry. Sirius is right, he has legal guardianship over Harry and therefore can decide what to tell him. Dumbledore may be the leader of the light but he is only Harry's headmaster. Nothing more. He has no reason to tell Sirius to keep Harry in the dark. Now, I agree he is too young to join the Order, therefore we cannot give him private Order information but we can give him a basic idea. Better he hear it from us rather than a garbled version from others." Remus suddenly stood up and spoke in a loud clear voice. "Harry is also old enough to decide for himself."

"I want to know." Harry spoke up immediately, his eyes wide and focused completely on Sirius.

"Fine. The rest of you up to bed. Now!" Molly scowled.

"We're of age!" Fred and George protested together.

"The boys are right, Molly." Arthur spoke up for the first time. "They can't join the Order until they leave school, but if Harry is going to get the basic idea, so should they."

"Fine. Ron, Hermione, Ginny up to bed now."

"What!? Why can't we stay? Harry will just tell us anyway." Ron protested, then shot a look at his best friend as if not actually sure he would. That was interesting.

"Maybe you should see how you like being kept in the dark." Harry bit out quietly. He was clearly still furious about the lack of news over the summer. Sirius studied his godson intently. He knew this vicious behaviour was not normal for the boy but wasn't about to interfere.

"Harry!" Hermione's eyes were welling up with tears. "Come on Ron, of course he will tell us later. Give him time to calm down." Ron looked furious but allowed his mother to usher them upstairs, Ginny still protesting loudly. Everybody was now watching Harry carefully but Sirius was sure only he noticed the flash of anger that was in Harry's eyes for a split second when Hermione asserted she was sure Harry would tell them later. Maybe the rift was bigger than he suspected.

"So, what do you want to know?" He asked Harry. A torrent of questions burst from the boys lips that had him trying to stifle a smile. They had a brief conversation but Sirius didn't tell him about the prophecy just yet. He knew the others wouldn't let him and he was proven right when Molly came back into the room and told him they had said enough.

"I agree. That's enough." Remus said with a conspiratory look at his best friend. They both knew Sirius was going to be telling Harry everything as soon as they were alone.

"Right, you know where you're sleeping Harry. Be quiet I expect Ron is asleep." Sirius mentally snorted but stood up.

"Actually, Harry isn't sharing with Ron. I'll take Harry to his room, Molly." Harry stood up and Sirius took him by the shoulder and led him from the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Heritage

Sirius took Harry up past the room he had been ushered to earlier, where he knew Ron was waiting to question him. They arrived on a landing with only three doors. One with a gold plaque that read 'Sirius Orion Black' and another that read 'Regulus Arcturus Black'. The final door was the only one open and clearly was a bathroom. Sirius opened the door to Regulus' room and led Harry in. The room was the best kept one in the house. Kreacher's devotion to Sirius' brother was fanatical and did stretch to keeping his room immaculate. As soon as they were inside with the door shut, Sirius engulfed his godson in a hug which Harry returned after only a second hesitation.

"I'm sorry about downstairs." Sirius told him his voice muffled from being buried in Harry's hair. It was a few seconds before Harry pulled back to stare at him.

"Yeah, what was that all about?" Harry looked both curious and a little hurt. Sirius sighed.

"There is so much to tell you and so little time to do it. Basically Dumbledore is concerned about the connection between you and Voldemort. Before, your scar hurt when he was nearby or feeling very strong emotion, but he believes that with a full body back, the connection will get stronger."

"Will Voldemort be able to read my mind?" Harry asked, looking horrified. Sirius motioned for him to sit down on the bed and then sat beside him.

"Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort doesn't know about the connection yet so he won't think to look in your mind. However, you get visions of what he is up to sometimes and if this continues Voldemort may feel you in his mind and become aware of the connection. Instead of finding a way to help you close the connection, Dumbledore is going with the approach of ignoring you and telling you nothing so Voldemort will get no information if he does find out about it."

"What?" Harry looked incredibly hurt. "How can he just ignore this?"

"I don't know, Harry. I've always trusted Dumbledore, and he repayed my trust by letting me be thrown in Azkaban and doing nothing to help me once I'm on the run. I also question a lot of decisions made by him about you such as leaving you with the Dursleys. So, with your permission, Remus is going to teach you Occlumency. It is a magical defence of the mind. There is a skill called Legilimency that allows someone to look into the mind of someone else. Both Dumbledore and Snivellus are proficient in it."

"I always thought it felt like Snape could read minds." Harry frowned.

"You did? It's illegal to use it on a minor without permission from a parent of guardian. If Snape has been reading your mind in school he should be in Azkaban." Sirius growled. "Remus will have to use it on you to help you learn Occlumency. In this case he has a guardian's permission."

"So why did you say 'if I let him', don't I need to do this?"

"It would be preferable. But this is very personal, Harry. You would be letting him into your mind and seeing your thoughts. I will not force that on you without your permission, regardless of the situation. It's wrong. I could teach you if you prefer me to Remus, but I'd rather him for a few reasons. Firstly, I will be teaching you other things and it'll do you good to have a little time with someone else. Secondly, I know he wants to make up for not checking on you when you were younger. He trusted Dumbledore that you were safe and with his little problem had to go abroad to look for work. So this chance would be an opportunity to get to know Remus as someone other than just your professor. Thirdly he is more proficient than I am. After spending so long in Azkaban my mind defences are screwed and I need to sort myself out before trying to teach you."

Harry bit his lip. He had been incredibly hurt that Remus hadn't searched him out when he was younger and even more hurt that he hadn't even tried to make a connection during the year he had been teaching. Or even afterwards, he sent no letters of support while Harry competed in the tournament but he had been a very close friend of his dad. He had also been a very good teacher and had gone out of his way to teach Harry the patronus charm which had saved his soul more than once.

"Ok. I don't mind Remus teaching me." The grin that broke out on his godfather's face made his decision worth it.

"Remus is also going to take you to Diagon Alley the day before your trial. You need to claim the Head of House ring as well as do an inheritance check. Then you will need some new robes to present a good image at the trial and definitely some new muggle clothes." Sirius eyes his rags with distaste.

"Head of House ring? Inheritance check?" Harry looked confused.

"You don't know?" Sirius' eyes widened.

"Sorry." Harry said quickly.

"Don't apologise." Sirius growled. "This is not your fault. It's Dumbledore's. He should have made you aware of this when you started Hogwarts. Merlin, I have a lot to tell you. First of all we need a list of things you need from Diagon Alley. A new trunk would be good. I noticed in your third year how hard it was for you to drag around, you can get some with built in feather light charms on and more than one compartment."

"Won't that be expensive?" Harry frowned.

"Yeah, but very worth it."

"But hasn't the money got to last me until the end of school?"

"Your trust vault? That's replenished every year, or it should be that's how James set it up."

"Trust vault?"

"Yeah, didn't you know? That vault is nothing compared to how wealthy you really are." Sirius frowned. "Did nobody tell you anything about your family?"

"No. Other than what Hagrid showed me when we came to Diagon Alley on my 11th birthday I never found anything else." Sirius sunk into the bed.

"Wow. I've got my work cut out for me. Harry, first off you're rich. Regardless of that, once I'm free I will be buying all your school things in my duty as godfather and guardian. For now though, you have more than enough money. Your grandpa Fleamont..."

"My grandad was called Fleamont?" Harry asked, eyebrow raised. Sirius grinned.

"Yep. His mother didn't want the family name to die out so he got stuck with it. Anyway, he invented Sleekeazy hair potion which quadrupled the family fortune which wasn't exactly small to begin with. The Potter's have always lived modestly so the money just built up. They are also a Noble and Most Ancient house with a seat on the Wizengamot."

"A noble house?" Sirius stared at him.

"Ok. There are twenty eight sacred houses which are basically the pureblood families left in Britain. Very few of them are actually pure but they just take the squibs and half bloods out of the family tree. Otherwise they would all be inbred beyond belief. Then there are thirty Noble houses. They either did some great deed to earn the title or have an awful lot of money. Houses can lose the title of noble if they disgrace themselves such as the Weasleys. Arthur's grandfather made a deal with the Malfoy's but it was a loaded deal. They lost their entire fortune and their title of Noble family also costing them a seat on the Wizengamot. They have also always been a rather large family so their wealth has never been restored. I believe they were replaced with the House of Sayre."

"That explains the feud they seem to have." Harry commented. Sirius nodded.

"Then there are the ten Noble and Most Ancient Houses. The Blacks are one, as are the Longbottoms."

"Not the Malfoys?" Harry asked.

"No. They are actually quite a recent family to Britain. They might have been around for a long time but they originated in France so don't qualify for the Ancient title in Britain. They are a Noble House thanks to the deal with the Weasley's but the Wizengamot seat went to the House of Sayre rather than the Malfoys in a vote so they don't have a seat."

"Wow, so I'm ranked higher than Malfoy?" Harry grinned. Sirius nodded with a laugh.

"Noble and Most Ancient houses are Noble houses that have been around a very long time. I can't remember the official classification. The Potter's are a Noble and Most Ancient House. Although this comes from being joined to the Peverell family. It is extinct in the male line I believe and the Potter's inherited their title. The four founders are all also Ancient and Most Noble although their seats on the Wizengamot are empty. Some Noble and Noble and Most Ancient Houses are now extinct. Some have female descendants but the House rules that only males can inherit and some are totally gone. Those seats are left open. The other seats are made up of the Order of Merlin winners and certain Ministry representatives like the Minister and head of the DMLE. So although there are fifty seats only forty five or so are used. Well that was the case before I went to prison. Things may have changed in the wake of Voldemort's reign of terror. He wiped out a lot of families. If a member of a house is unavailable they can appoint a proxy to vote for them. So you are underage but as Head of House Potter you can appoint a proxy to vote for you."

"I wonder who's been doing that for me since I was left at the Dursley's." Harry frowned.

"I don't know. I'm supposed to be your magical guardian so it should have been me but with me unavailable too I'm not sure. Your seat should have been empty with no one voting."

"Magical guardian?"

"Everyone in the magical world has a magical guardian. If you are a pure blood that is your parents. A half blood is usually their one magical parent and muggleborns are usually assigned one. If not then the Headmaster takes that responsibility. It enables them to make informed decisions about the magical world that muggles cannot make. For you, I'm your godfather so it's me. Me being in prison would actually make no difference here because of the ancient laws. Unless your parents actually assigned someone else then nothing can take my place as magical guardian until I choose otherwise."

"Wow. There is so much I didn't know Sirius. Every time I learn something new it feels like I have even more to learn."

"I know kiddo. You should have been told all this upon your entry to the magical world. I can't believe Dumbledore sent Hagrid to show you around Diagon Alley. I love the bloke but he really isn't the best person for this. Ok, when Remus takes you to Diagon Alley, you need to go to Gringotts and ask for an Inheritance test to show you what vaults and families you are entitled to. As the Boy Who Lived I expect you've inherited much more than you expect. Families dying out after Voldemort's downfall will probably have left you stuff if they have no heirs purely out of gratefulness. Your fortune may be much bigger than even I expect. At the age of fifteen you cannot take a seat on the Wizengamot as I said earlier but as you are the only living Potter you can become the Head of House. There is a ring that comes with it. It should allow you to access the family vaults which will have all the old family artifacts and things in as well as money."

Harry nodded. He began to unpack his trunk for something to do with his hands. The amount of knowledge Sirius had just thrown at him was astounding. He couldn't believe how ignorant he had been of such fundamental magical information. This was the body that voted on laws that defined the country. Hermione probably knew more than him and it was his birthright. He wondered exactly how much his supposed best friends did know about this. Ron surely would have known something, given that he was a pureblood and Hermione had told him the first time they had met that she had read plenty of books about him. Yet neither of them told him anything. Perhaps they had assumed he already knew, but it should have been rather obvious he didn't. That was something else to ask them about. Sirius suddenly spoke, dragging Harry from his bitter thoughts.

"I will be taking you through a lot of the old laws in preparation for the trial and how to act as a Head of House."

"Is that what you meant when you said you would be teaching me?" Sirius nodded.

"Don't worry, I know it sounds like a lot of lessons but I'll leave time for you to spend with your friends." Harry snorted. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I was meaning to ask you about what happened downstairs."

"I'm just sick of the two of them hiding stuff from me. They got told by Dumbledore not to tell me anything and they just followed what he said. They didn't even bother to think of muggle methods of news which the Death Eaters would not think about because of their supremacy way of thinking. I was angry with you too, but at least you've taken the time to explain things to me as soon as possible. I understand you have a part to play and if they knew you had told me all this I expect you would be excluded from some Order stuff to ensure you don't tell me." Sirius was impressed with how much his godson had guessed.

"That's true, I already suspect Dumbledore of having secret conversations with Molly about keeping you in the dark." Sirius confided. "As soon as I knew I couldn't tell you anything I figured Dumbledore would have a way of monitoring the mail we sent you. So, I am sorry you had to go all month with no news but I will be rectifying that as soon as possible."

"I understand and I'm grateful you are finding a way to circumvent orders. I guess that's why I'm so upset with them. They have said they are sorry and that they didn't want to follow Dumbledore's orders but it just makes me wonder. They mean it today but if he gave them the same orders next summer they would follow them again and we would have the same situation. Hermione is always pushing me to talk about things even when I'm not ready and I know they talk about me a lot behind my back. Ron...well I know I forgave him for being a jealous git last year but it still hurts. I don't know if he will turn against me again just because of some stupid rumours. I thought he knew me but clearly he doesn't know me as well as I thought he did."

"You know, those two are the only friends I hear you talk about. Maybe you should use this year to branch out a bit. It would do you good to at least be on neutral if not good terms with the others who are heirs to Houses on the Wizengamot. It will help you form alliances later on in life. Obviously the Dark families are an exception, such as the Flints and I'd never expect you to do anything except hate Malfoy, but houses like Greengrass are neutral despite being Slytherin." Sirius told him.

"You want me to be friends with Slytherins?" Harry gaped.

"I know I have a well known hatred of anything Slytherin but I can see that alliances with those families would be helpful to you. People like Malfoy and his cronies I'd never tell you to even be neutral to, but not everybody in Slytherin is evil like him. Besides, from what I've heard in your second year, and even last year the majority of the school turned against you because they didn't know you well. This year again, will be hard because a lot of people will believe the prophet but if they see the real you, maybe you can make them see you wouldn't lie about this. Also, I'm working on a plan to be free and then I own some shares of the daily prophet, I intend to make them pay for what they've printed about you."

"That will be nice." Harry grinned appreciatively.

"You probably own some of the prophet as well." Sirius laughed. "Then they really will regret slandering you. I think that's enough for tonight. I promise to tell you more tomorrow and we will start your lessons while the others clean the house. For now though, you need some sleep you look exhausted. When was the last time you actually had a good nights sleep?"

"I don't remember." Harry confessed. "Probably the just before I got chosen as a champion. Ever since then I haven't slept well or had nightmares. Oh, Madam Pomfrey gave me dreamless sleep potion just after the task." Sirius frowned, this was worse than they thought. He left the room briefly an came back holding a vial.

"This is a dreamless sleep potion. It's addictive in high quantities but for a couple of nights you should be ok. Once you start Occlumency it should help clear your mind and stop the nightmares or at least make them less frequent." Sirius explained. Harry downed in gratefully. He barely had enough time to get changed into his pajamas before he was asleep with Sirius tucking him into bed. The last thing he remembered before falling into unconsciousness was the feeling of Sirius kissing his forehead, like a parent should. With that he fell asleep and stayed that way until the morning.

(A/N I've had a couple of questions about main pairings in this story. These are undecided at the moment. If you have a pairing you want to see let me know in a review however I will not be doing Harry/Ginny I hate that pairing. No Harry/Hermione either. Anything else is fair game. Once I have a few suggestions I will post a poll and you can vote for your favourites. Your suggestions don't have to just be for Harry. At the moment I'm considering Harry/Tonks, Harry/Daphne Greengrass and Neville/Luna)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Occlumency

Harry woke the next morning feeling more refreshed than he had in months. The potion had worked and he nad no nightmares of the graveyard and no dreams about a strange corridor that had been plaguing him for the past week or so. He considered sending a letter to Sirius about it. Until he realised he was actually at his godfather's house so he could just speak to him. This made him smile and he opened his eyes. He was in an unfamiliar room decked in silver and green. Sirius' brother's room. He was distinctly curious about his godfather's family. From the looks of the house they were the worst sort of wizards. Just as he was debating going back to sleep there was a knock on his door.

"Come in." He called, assuming it would be Sirius, but Remus was the one who walked through the door.

"Morning, Harry. I'm sure you were expecting Sirius but he got called down for a word with Dumbledore. I think he is reinforcing the message not to tell you anything as I assume Molly told him what happened at the meeting last night." Harry felt his temper spike.

"Sirius has every right to tell me whatever he likes!"

"I know, Harry, but Dumbledore thinks you are too young as does Molly. Don't worry, Sirius has no intention of listening but I figured you would want a heads up."

"Thanks." Harry felt a little awkward. He had not really spent much time with Remus at all and didn't really know what to say to the man, "I hear you're going to be teaching me Occlumency."

"Indeed. When we go to Diagon Alley I will pick you up some books on the subject. Sirius was going to owl order you some but as we aren't going to really start until after your trial it can wait until we go to Diagon Alley." He sighed. "I must warn you, Occlumency is much like Quidditch in that some are born with a natural affinity for it and some really struggle. Either way, training will help. You have shown a great deal of mental strength already, throwing off the Imperius Curse and Occlumency will require a similar amount of control. You also need a good grasp of the theory before I can truly begin teaching you. We won't start official lessons until after your trial. This is also partly because I assume your focus will be mostly on that and your concentration will suffer." He gave a Harry a wry smile.

"Yeah, I suppose it might." Harry admitted with a small grin.

"What I will recommend is that you try and meditate in the evening before going to sleep. Try and empty your mind of all emotion and thought. It's a lot easier said than done, trust me, I know but it is a good start. The other thing to do is sit down and try to sort through your memories. Create a place in your mind to store them." Harry gave him a puzzled look.

"Create a place in my mind?"

"Yes. Imagine a replica of a safe place in your head and try to sort through your memories. Place memories in certain places, for example your memories of Ron and Hermione might go in the Gryffindor Common Room. Your Transfiguration lessons might go in the Transfiguration classroom. It helps to sort through memories and to clear your mind. It's an activity that will also improve your memory."

"Can I try now, with you here?" Harry asked nervously. Remus gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. Under Remus' direction, Harry sat cross legged on the bed and closed his eyes. He tried to picture Hogwarts. His first real home. The place where his best and worst memories were made. It took him a little while to concentrate long enough but finally he formed a solid image of the castle, in all its detailed glory. He could hear Remus' voice as if from very far away telling him to try and pull up a memory and store it somewhere. Concentrating hard, Harry let his memories flood into his mind and suddenly Hogwarts disappeared. He was in the graveyard again standing before Voldemort. He yelled in pain as the curse hit him, he was shaking. With a start he opened his eyes and saw Remus looking at him worriedly.

"Are you ok, Harry?" His voice betrayed his concern.

"I...I was in the graveyard."

"Of course." Remus cursed, looking annoyed with himself. "Don't blame yourself Harry. This is simply like the problem you have with Dementors. Your memories are so vivid and traumatic that they will take over your mind. I'm no mind healer but if you need to talk things out then I'm here for you and so is Sirius. In your own time of course."

Harry felt something warm settle in his chest. It was nice knowing he had an adult he could rely on. Someone who would be there is he needed them but wouldn't push their help on him before he was ready to accept it. He knew the wounds were too raw for him to want to discuss it just yet, but he hoped that after the trial when he had one less thing to worry about he might be ready.

"I think…" He began slowly. "That I need the trial out of the way really before I can truly talk about what happened that night. There are so many things for me to think about and worry about that I really don't want to have to drag up all the raw emotion right before I have to go into a trial where the Ministry will be really against me." He tried to explain.

"I understand. I don't blame you personally. You've been so strong to deal with this yourself and I agree that once you know the outcome of your trial your mind will be in a bit of a better place. Just let one of us know when you're ready to talk. Sirius told me everything, so both of us already know what happened so you won't need to re-explain if you choose to talk to me." Remus saw the look of relief that flitted across Harry's face at the idea of not having to explain again. "In the meantime, keep trying with the Hogwarts model, but try to focus on only pulling up good memories. It is difficult but the thing to remember is that it is your mind. You control it so you control which memories you pull up and where to put them. I expect a similar thing to today will happen again because of how strong your memories are but try to focus on good ones. I know Dumbledore hasn't been right about a few things lately, but love is indeed a powerful force."

"Yeah." Harry agreed absentmindedly. Harry had one more go at controlling his mindscape and managed to get through a few memories before he was again overtaken, this time by his memory of the things Aunt Marge had yelled at him the night he ran away. In his sudden fury he had managed to set the wardrobe on fire. Which is how Sirius found them. Harry panting and scowling on the bed, Remus looking a mix of concerned and amused while trying to put out a fire.

"Do I want to know?" Sirius asked with a laugh.

"Just Harry trying to sort through his memories. I assume that particular one made you angry?" Remus directed this last comment at Harry who nodded tightly and then broke into a grin.

"Yeah, I was putting away the memory of blowing up my aunt the night I first saw Sirius and then the things she said to make me blow he up forced themselves into my head." Harry explained.

"You blew up your Aunt?" Remus raised an eyebrow as Sirius let out a laugh remembering seeing a muggle woman floating above a house the night he saw Harry. Harry sniggered.

"Maybe." He answered cheekily. Both adults laughed.

"How are you kiddo?" Sirius asked. Harry shrugged.

"I'm ok, slept pretty good thanks to that potion but this Occlumency seems really hard."

"It is, it's not just you. Be grateful Snape isn't teaching you. I have no doubt he'd just attack your mind and leave you to defend yourself without even knowing how." Sirius growled.

"Why would Snape teach me?" Harry raised an eyebrow in disgust.

"If the connection gets too bad I have no doubt Dumbledore will step in eventually. The obvious answer is Occlumency and as he is ignoring you and has some stupid amount of faith in Snivellus I imagine he would be the first choice despite his inability to let go of a grudge." Sirius shrugged. "Ron and Hermione were asking about you at breakfast." Harry shrugged.

"How long are you going to remain angry at them?" Remus asked looking faintly amused.

"I don't know, I guess it depends on their actions. Ron spends pretty much all his time being jealous of me, unable to understand I'd much rather have my parents alive than have money. Hermione, she's been a good friend but I simply cannot stand her pushy nature and inability to understand some things I don't wish to tell them. Her thirst for knowledge is an asset in some ways but it does mean she cannot stand not having answers and not knowing everything. Which leads her to try to force me to tell them things I don't want to. She seems to expect me to tell them everything and then keeps secrets from me. Like third year with the time turner. She said McGonagall told her not to tell but if that had been me or Ron, she would have spied on us and pestered us until she found out and wouldn't have found a problem with that. The other thing is her inability to realise she is wrong. Like with Crookshanks and Scabbers. Alright Scabbers was an evil git but she didn't know that, yet went out of her way to buy a pet she knew wanted to eat the pet of her close friend. Then had the audacity to blame Ron for being upset with Crookshanks."

The two older men exchanged glances, letting Harry get the rant off his chest. It sounded like he had been holding this in for years. Harry had seemed to be a rather easy going kid but they were only just beginning to realise exactly how much he had been holding in, pretending to let go while it really festered in the back of his mind.

"I wish you guys had been around much earlier. I hate Divination and could really have done with some careers advice back then rather than just signing up for whatever Ron did. That's another thing, I know it's not Ron's fault but I really let his lazy behaviour determine how I did at Hogwarts. It's only now that I face possible expulsion that I truly appreciate what I have. I mean, I've never had a chance in Potions with Snape teaching me but all my other subjects could be a lot better if I really put my mind to it." Harry looked disgusted with himself.

"It's not all your fault Harry, it's natural to want to be in the same class as your friend. I've always said they should have teacher meetings before you choose your option. You have a career meeting with your head of house in fifth year but everyone thinks that's too late. By then if you know what you want to do you may have already taken the wrong subjects." Remus shook his head. "The same was muggleborns or muggle raised students should have an induction course on the wizarding ways and traditions."

"Definitely. I think Muggle Studies should actually be mandatory in first year too." Harry noted. "It's amazing how ignorant wizards can be of muggle things and I know they look down on them but at events like the Quidditch world cup they need to deal with Muggles to an extent." Sirius and Remus were nodding at his thought.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders kiddo. If you want more lessons during the summer between the two of us we can retake you through previous years materials and help you review everything. Remus here managed to melt pretty much every cauldron he touched but I think I still have some of Lily's journals about potions and she was amazing at that. If I don't then there will be some in the Potter vault." Sirius offered. "This house has a private potions lab we can use to take you through all your potions."

"Potions would really help. I want to be an Auror and I assume I need to take Potions at NEWT level for that." Remus nodded at him.

"Yes, you do. And I believe Snape only takes students who receive an Outstanding at OWL. With Lily's journals though that should be relatively easy. Snape is the youngest Potion Master in the country for good reason and Lily was equally good as him at Potions. She could quite easily have gone on to do a mastery but chose Charms instead." Remus told Harry with a small smile.

"So my mom was good at Charms and Potions and dad was good at Transfiguration?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah, to be honest your dad was good at pretty much everything. He was one of those that had everything come to him naturally and without effort but Transfiguration was definitely his best subject. He could have rivaled McGonagall by the time he left Hogwarts." Sirius smiled fondly. Harry's mouth dropped open. He felt even worse about his average grades knowing how smart his parents were.

"Ok, I'd really love to take up those offers of extra lessons." He said.

"You've successfully corrupted him Moony." Sirius rolled his eyes in a joking manner.

"It was your suggestion Padfoot." Remus laughed. All three of them shared a smile.

"Right then, you head down and have some breakfast. If you want to spend some time with Ron and Hermione, please do, if not come back up and we will get started on your lessons."

"Well, if Mrs Weasley keeps making them clean the house I'll be straight back up here." Harry joked. "Don't tell Ron and Hermione about these lessons. Ron will just make snide comments about how I'm turning into another Hermione which will spark arguments that might break the house. Hermione will want to join in and I kinda want this to be between us as bonding time." Harry added the last bit rather shyly.

"That's fine, Harry. We won't say anything." Remus smiled reassuringly. "Now go and eat. You're wasting away in front of me." Harry stuck his tongue out and then shooed them out so he could get dressed.

A few minutes later, Harry traipsed downstairs and into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was bustling around cleaning up as everyone else had either finished or nearly finished. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen but the twins were still eating. He eyed the twins as the conversation with Sirius last night came back to him. He was much richer than he had already believe and the twins were doing really well in coming up with new products. As he slid into a seat next to Tonks everyone finally noticed him.

"There you are, Harry, dear." Mrs Weasley came to fuss over him as soon as she spotted him. "You look peaky, what do you want for breakfast, dear? Kippers, bacon, sausages?"

"Just toast thanks." Harry offered a weak smile. "I need a word with you two in a bit." Harry whispered to Fred who was on his other side." Fred raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded.

"Meet us in our room in twenty. Otherwise she'll make us clean." Fred whispered back and then turned to his twin. Both of them stood up.

"Wake Ron on your way up, we need to tackle the drawing room today. I have no doubt he has tried going back to bed." Mrs Weasley called at their retreating backs.

"Yes mom." They called back together. Tonks turned to him.

"So how much did my dear cousin tell you last night once he had you alone?" Tonks said in an undertone, smirking at Harry.

"A lot but not about the Order. He told me about my heritage." Harry replied. Her mouth fell open.

"You didn't know?" Harry shook his head and she looked horrified. "You wait until I tell my mom. She ran away with my dad when her father tried to put up a marriage contract between her and Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy got her younger sister Narcissa as the next best option. However, she does still believe in some of the pureblood traditions and would be horrified to know that such important things were kept from you for so long."

"Here you are dear." Mrs Weasley interrupted them putting a plate loaded with toast in front of Harry, who dug in quickly wanting to meet with the twins. The rest of the meal was spent chatting with Tonks about becoming an Auror until the kitchen door opened and Ron came in with Hermione right behind. The atmosphere suddenly became tense as they spotted Harry. With a quick glance towards his mom, Ron realised now was not the time to ask Harry what happened last night but he did not look happy.

"About time. Once you've finished we will be clearing out the drawing room." Mrs Weasley informed them and Ron groaned loudly.

"Sorry Mrs Weasley but I will be with Sirius and Remus." Harry said quietly. "I've missed enough time with my godfather and would like to get to know him much better." Mrs Weasley looked like she wanted to say something scathing but her husband shot her a pointed look.

"I don't blame you Harry." Mr Weasley smiled over kindly.

"How come he gets out of everything?" Ron grumbled angrily.

"Because you've known your parents your entire life. Mine are dead." Harry shot at him immediately, sick of the jealous look that had flashed across Ron's face. He felt a stab of satisfaction as Ron winced slightly. With that Harry got up and strode out of the room and went up the stairs to the room the twins were staying in. He knocked on the door and George opened it with a grin. They ushered him in with identical wicked grins.

"So what can we do for you ickle Harrikins?" The asked together.

"Well, I was speaking to Sirius last night and he told me about my family vault I have, not just my trust vault. Which makes me much richer than I realised." Harry felt safe telling the twins this, knowing they were much more comfortable with their families lack of wealth than Ron.

"You didn't know about your family vault?" Fred frowned. Harry shook his head.

"Anyway, what I want to do is be a silent partner in your business. I know you guys consider the money I gave you as a loan but it wasn't. I want nothing to do with it and none of it back. What I'm willing to do is basically fund pretty much everything you need until you get premises and then have a share in your business. Consider it my first venture as a businessman." The twins simply stared at him. They both looked lost for words.

"You...you want to fund everything? You know a thousand galleons will cover most stuff anyway?" George told him, still stunned by the enormity of the offer.

"Yeah, but I don't imagine getting premises in Diagon Alley will be cheap, and this way you can get better quality materials for inventing new stuff." Harry grinned.

"Are you really sure about this?" George asked him, looking more serious than Harry had seen him.

"I'm really sure. I stand by what I said on the train, we are really going to need some laughs in the future and you guys are the best ones to give it. I wouldn't mind being included in some of your ideas though. I might even have some of my own." Harry smirked wickedly.

"You know you're far more supportive than most of our own family." Fred looked down. "But we accept your offer. You help us get started and you'll own 33% of the business. We look forward to some of your ideas too." The twins held out their hands and shook both of Harry's hands at the same time making him grin.

"One more thing...you know you're living in the house of a marauder, don't you?" Harry stopped by the door with an innocent expression. Both twins' heads snapped up.

"I beg your pardon?" George said.

"Sirius is Padfoot. Remus is Moony and my dad was Prongs." Harry smirked.

"Your dad…!"

"Prongs…?" Their mouths had fallen open. Harry was surprised their jaws weren't through the floor.

"At least the map made its way to the true heir." Fred grinned.

"Indeed, but I feel our new partner should be punished for withholding such information, don't you Gred?"

"I do indeed, Forge." Both twins grinned wickedly at Harry who beamed back.

"You're on." He said before vanishing out the door leaving the twins staring after him, dumbfounded. Grinning to himself, pleased with his handiwork, Harry made his way back to his bedroom.

"What are you smirking about?" Sirius asked as Harry came in.

"I gave Fred and George my triwizard winnings on the train back. I know they wanted to open a joke shop but lost all their savings to Bagman in a bet at the world cup even though they got it right. So I've just offered to fund everything to get them started in exchange for owning a third of the shop." Sirius' mouth dropped open.

"Molly's going to kill you." Was all he could manage before he broke into a massive grin. "I'm so proud." Harry laughed.

"Right then, I shall leave you two to the lessons and I will be back to have lunch with you both." Remus stood and smiled at the pair before leaving, closing the door behind him.

A/N So I've had loads of responses about pairings. Harry/Daphne is the favourite at the moment. The other pairings that have been suggested and I would be willing to write are:

Harry/Luna

Harry/Daphne

Harry/Hannah

Harry/Susan

Neville/Luna

Neville/Hermione - Can't really see this one myself but would be willing to write it in somehow

Ron/Lavender

If people have anymore suggestions for other pairings feel free to review but the pairings for Harry will definitely be within those four options. Thanks to all those who review I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. I apologise for any typos I'm writing this story with a broken wrist in a cast and I don't have a beta. I do re-read and edit but don't catch everything so thanks to those who point out mistakes.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Will

Sirius spent the next week teaching Harry all about wizarding politics. He found them extremely interesting and they quickly developed a routine. The mornings would be spent learning politics. Then Remus would come and have lunch with them and the two older men spent that hour telling Harry all sorts of stories about his parents. Harry was horrified to find out how much of a bully his father was in his teenager years but much reassured that he had grown up eventually. After lunch Sirius and Remus spent time helping Harry go over the previous four years worth of material from school to make sure the gaps he had left were filled in and he felt better than ever. Remus was also teaching him Ancient Runes as Sirius had told him he could do independent study and take the OWL anyway even if he hadn't studied it at Hogwarts. Dinner was fun as the trio joined the rest of the house for the meal. Harry found Tonks to be a blast and had great fun teasing her in private about her crush on Remus.

"I do not have a crush." She protested for the thousandth time the fourth day into Harry's stay. The two of them were having whispered conversation at the end of the table. As he was still avoiding Ron and Hermione, he had turned to the young auror for companionship, something she was more than happy to provide. It was like having an older sister and the two were often in the company of Fred and George as Tonks knew about Harry's investment. The four of them had developed a few new products for the skiving snackboxes with the help of Sirius' potion room he let them use. Tonks was also very useful in helping Harry know what to expect if he became an Auror. She had informed him that her mother was horrified by his lack of knowledge. Harry snickered loudly as she let him know that she was positive Andromeda would be sending the headmaster a howler at the very least. Harry was going to be taking up the offer that had been passed along of lessons from Andromeda on things Sirius probably wouldn't want to be teaching. Like how to dance. After his embarrassment at the Yule ball, Harry had jumped on those lessons eagerly, as due to his status as Head of House Potter he would be required to attend many functions as he grew older that would require dancing.

"Yes you do. You can't even look at him without blushing. Even being able to change yourself doesn't cover it up." Harry grinned cheekily. Tonks ruffled his hair affectionately.

"For your information I'm currently dating Charlie Weasley. Don't tell Molly though. We went to Hogwarts at the same time and hooked up when he came back last year for the first task. Molly never quite approved of me even when we were at Hogwarts so we haven't told her yet. We see each other pretty much every other weekend. I go there on my weekend off and he comes here on his." Tonks confessed all this in an undertone while keeping one eye on Molly. "Right, I best be going." Tonks stood up. She winked at Harry who understood she was on guard duty. Sirius had told him about the prophecy despite not knowing himself what it said. They knew it was about Harry and Voldemort but not the specifics.

After dinner was usually spent with Tonks or the twins. Remus took him through some more meditation each night right before bed and Harry found the first few nights he needed dreamless sleep potion as the meditation brought his worst memories to the front of his mind but after that he gained more control and found himself sleeping much better on his own.

Soon the day before the trial had arrived. Remus came up at lunch as usual but this time instead of his afternoon lessons, they were going to Diagon Alley. They hadn't told anybody of their plans and didn't intend to. Everybody was now used to Harry's routine even though Mrs Weasley made comments every single dinnertime about the fact he should spend time with Ron and Hermione. Nor did she hide her disapproval of his spending time with Sirius and not helping everyone else clean. They planned their leaving at the same time Tonks was arriving so she could cover for the sound of the front door opening and shutting.

Once on the front doorstep, Remus gripped Harry's arm and took him to the Leaky Cauldron via side-along apparition. Harry stumbled upon arrival and almost threw up, voicing his displeasure to Remus who merely laughed. They quickly made their way to the Alley with Remus deciding to visit the bank first as it would take the longest. On the way to the bank people stared at Harry and whispered behind their hands as he tried to ignore them. Upon their arrival at Gringotts, Remus took him straight to a teller and kept one hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Harry James Potter requests a full inheritance check and wishes to claim his Head of House ring." Remus spoke quietly but firmly. The goblin's head whipped up quickly.

"Of course. Please follow me Mr Potter. You must wait here." He indicated some chairs off to the side for Remus who smiled reassuringly at Harry and left. Harry found himself being led down a marble corridor to a door labeled Sharpblade: Potter Account Manager. The goblin with him knocked sharply once and then opened the door, ushering him inside.

"Yes?" The goblin inside was sat behind a vast mahogany desk and was clearly in the middle of writing something.

"Mr Potter to see you." The goblin teller bowed slightly and then left, closing the door behind him. Harry sat down opposite the goblin.

"What can I do for you Mr Potter?"

"As the last of the line of Potter I wish to claim my Head of House ring. I also wish for an inheritance check." Sharpblade looked at him in surprise.

"Of course." He reached down into a drawer and pulled out a small obsidian box. "Seven drops of blood please Mr Potter. We shall do your inheritance check first." Harry nervously took the dagger offered to him and pricked his finger. Once seven drops of blood had hit the top of the box it whirred and glowed green. After a few seconds a piece of parchment shot out towards Sharpblade who picked it up and raised his eyebrows. He passed the parchment to Harry silently.

Inheritance check of Harry James Potter

Parents: Lily Marie Potter nee Evans and James Charlus Potter

Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter

Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Gryffindor

Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

Heir to the family vault of Monroe as declared by Last Will and Testament

Heir to the family vault of Farvais as declared by Last Will and Testament

Harry's eyebrows were past his hairline.

"Do you have a ritual bowl for me to make my claim?" Sharpblade now withdrew a silver bowl with runes etched around the side from under his desk.

"You cut your palm and let blood drop into the bowl." Harry nodded, Sirius had prompted him to do this. He picked up the dagger again and watched as the tiny drops of blood dripped into the bowl.

"I, Harry James Potter, do hereby claim headship of House Potter as is my birthright." The blood glowed and a ring appeared on Harry's finger. He smiled and cut his palm again. "I, Harry James Potter, do hereby claim headship of House Gryffindor." The same thing happened except the ring appeared for only a second before melding with the Potter ring. He completed the procedure for the last house. Sharpblade then provided him with his estate value and properties he owned. Harry's jaw dropped further with every line he read. He was richer than he could ever have believed. Once he had recovered from his shock, he asked to collect Remus before being taken down to the Potter main vault. He asked Sharpblade to meld the Monroe and Farvais vaults with the Potter one as that was simply monetary inheritance and no actual title came with it. The lines were declared extinct.

"How did it go?" Remus asked him. Harry wordlessly showed him both the inheritance check and estate value. It seemed to make the man speechless. Neither of them said a word until the cart stopped.

"I can't believe this. Heir of Gryffindor himself. James always liked to brag that he was but we all thought he was exaggerating." They made their way into the vault and Harry gasped. Inside was not just ridiculous piles of money but stacks of books, jewels, portraits and various other things. He looked at the books and immediately asked Remus to start shrinking some to take back. There were some useful ones on Occlumency and others on advanced versions of his core classes. He found a couple of books on blood magic he assumed his mother had been looking at in attempts to save him.

In the centre of the vault was a pedestal. On it was an envelope on which were written the words The Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter. Harry took it without thinking running his fingers over the unfamiliar writing. Sharpblade came over and blinked at the envelope.

"Lord Potter, you need to call an official reading of the will. The Ministry copy mysteriously vanished after they died and the Potter vault sealed with no Head of House to open it. Your parents will has never been read."

"Do it." Harry said sharply. Sharpblade nodded.

"I will read it and contact all beneficiaries. We should be able to hold it in an hour." Harry and Remus nodded. The both decided to have a nose around the vault while the goblins organised the reading. They found some old journals of his parents. One by his dad about the animagus transformation and a few by his mum about Potions. Harry held all of these to his chest and refused to let Remus shrink them with the rest of the books. Once the time was up, Sharpblade escorted them to a room that was full of people. Harry recognised Augusta Longbottom, Remus of course, Professor McGonagall, Emmeline Vance who had picked him up from the Dursley's. A witch he didn't recognise introduced herself as Amelia Bones. The Transfiguration Professor was looking at him in surprise.

"What is going on Mr Potter?" She asked. He looked at her impassively.

"It's Lord Potter now. I have claimed my Head of House ring and have reopened the Potter vault. Inside I found my parents will that has been sealed in there since their death." His Head of House gasped.

"A will? I never knew." The goblin then caught everyone's attention.

"We are gathered here for the reading of the last will and testament of James and Lily Potter. Everyone who needs to be here has been summoned. Sirius Black will be unable to attend due to his status as a criminal. Augusta Longbottom do you stand in the stead of Frank and Alice Longbottom who are unable to attend themselves?"

"I do." She stated.

"Very well. The majority of their estate is left to their only son, Harry James Potter but there are several individual bequests. To Frank and Alice Longbottom, we leave 10,000 galleons each and our best wishes to our godson Neville."

Harry had to work to keep his surprise silent. He never knew his parents were Neville's godparents.

"To Minerva McGonagall we leave 10,000 galleons for the Transfiguration department. You were a wonderful mentor to us both and we wish to aid you in your research." McGonagall burst into tears at this announcement.

Harry was looking at her curiously, wondering just how close she was to his parents. The stern professor had never gone out of her way to be particularly helpful to him, in some cases either downright ignoring him or at the very least not offering comfort when needed. She swung from breaking school rules to put him on the Quidditch team, to docking 150 points and giving detentions simply for being out of bed. The other thing that had always irked him was the way she always told him off for putting himself at risk, particularly in his first and third year, without telling him why it was dangerous. In his first year she hadn't known about the dragon but told them it was very dangerous to be out of bed without telling them there was a dark lord in their school. And then sent them into the Forbidden Forest, late at night, as punishment for being out of bed. Harry had never quite worked that one out. In his third year everyone kept telling him it was too dangerous to go to Hogsmeade or even to be out in the grounds, yet if he hadn't overheard the Weasley's talking, he would never have known a supposed dangerous criminal was after him or that he was in any more danger than any other student. So it was incredibly surprising to hear that she had been close enough to his parents for them to leave her department money. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"To Emmeline Vance we leave 10,000 galleons." The witch in question looked a little startled but smiled fondly as she remembered Lily, one of her close friends despite them being in different houses.

"To Remus Lupin we leave 50,000 galleons, you really need some new robes mate. We also leave you the Potter flat in London, don't you dare argue." Remus was the next to start crying. His hand dug tightly into Harry's shoulder as he fought to control himself.

"To Sirius Black we leave 50,000 galleons. As Harry's godfather we expect you to take care of him in the event of our untimely demise. You fought with us for ages to be allowed this honour now you have to live up to it. We believe in you Padfoot."

"To Peter Pettigrew, provided that, as our secret keeper, you have not betrayed us to Voldemort we leave 50,000 galleons. If you have betrayed us we hope you rot in hell." Harry watched as Amelia Bones went pale.

"That is all the personal bequests. Everything else is now Lord Potter's. The appropriate amounts will be deposited in the alloted vaults by tomorrow morning. Thank you for coming." Sharpblade bade Harry good day and then left. Amelia Bones made her way over to Harry.

"Good to meet you Lord Potter."

"Thank you Madam Bones. The pleasure is all mine." Harry's training kicked in. He bowed slightly and smiled.

"I wish to discuss with you a matter that has been brought to my attention during this will, pertaining to the current case of Sirius Black. This will states that Sirius Black was not the secret keeper of your parents and therefore may not be a Death Eater."

"I am well aware my godfather is no Death Eater Madam Bones."

"You have been in contact? He is a declared criminal Lord Potter, whether innocent or not to be in contact and not inform the MInistry is illegal."

"I met Sirius Black at the end of my third year at Hogwarts. The year he broke out in fact. I also met Peter Pettigrew who did not die as supposed, but rather is a rat animagus and had been living with the Weasley family for twelve years. I tried to inform the Minister of reality at the time but thanks to the work of Severus Snape they believed I was confunded and the investigation went no further. The word of three thirteen year old wizards would mean nothing compared to that of a teacher who held a lethal grudge against both Sirius and Remus who was with us on the night in question."

"Can you give me a full account of the night please Lord Potter?" Amelia was horrified at the public outrage this could cause if Sirius Black was indeed innocent. Twelve years in Azkaban as an innocent man would be a grave miscarriage of justice that could cost the Ministry thousands in compensation. Harry nodded to her request. "You as well please Mr Lupin." Remus nodded eagerly, happy to get his old friend justice. "Lord Potter, I believe you are coming in for a trial for underage magic tomorrow is that correct?"

"Yes. I met some Dementors."

"Dementors? In a muggle suburb?"

"Yes."

"Strange indeed. Anyway I shall get the full story tomorrow, I'm sure. For now, leave this Sirius Black matter to me. I shall investigate and hopefully we can have a second trial for him right after yours due to new evidence."

"Pardon me Madam Bones, but Sirius never received a first trial. Barty Crouch sent him straight to Azkaban." Her eyebrows rose even further causing her monocle to fall from her eye.

"Then I have even more than I originally thought to investigate. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Please arrive early for your trial tomorrow so I can take a copy of your memory of that night and your testimony before the trial begins."

"Yes Ma'am." Harry bowed and they parted ways.

"This is so much better than we could ever have expected." Remus smiled down at the excited fifteen year old boy beside him.

"It is indeed." Harry agreed with a beaming smile that remained on his face despite there reemergence onto Diagon Alley and the restart of all the whispers. It was getting late but they still had shopping to do. They started in a shop that sold trunks.

"What can I do for you?"

"This one needs a new trunk with four compartments, built in feather light charms and good security." Remus stated firmly. "We also require the Potter crest to be on it." The man nodded happily, pleased about such a good sale. He didn't pay any attention to the fact that it was Harry Potter he was serving, something that made Harry very happy. It took a few minutes for the salesman to come back but he was carrying a brown leather trunk in one hand. He opened it up.

"How would you like the four compartments set up?" He asked Remus who looked down at Harry.

"I need one potions compartment and a one as a study. Actually I'll have one set up to be a library with space for a desk so I can study in there. The third compartment can be one for just my general trunk storage and the last one...hmmm how about one for clothing." Harry said after a minute. He was going to be doing some independent study for both Potions and Ancient Runes over the coming year as Snape would refuse to teach him properly. He could study out of his mother's old journals and he was going to buy the textbooks for Ancient Runes. Remus nodded his approval and the man got the trunk ready. He told them it would take at least an hour to get all the compartments set up. They agreed and went to do the rest of their shopping. Harry needed new school robes as well as robes for the hearing. He ordered three sets of smart robes in black, dark green and midnight blue, all with the Potter crest on the breast. He also ordered Remus some new robes before the man could protest.

Once they had their purchases, Remus shrank them and they made their way to the apothecary. Here Harry ordered a vast array of ingredients, more so than he would usually, as well as a higher quantity than normal as he would be using them both in lessons and in his own time. He also bought an extra cauldron for his own brewing. After grabbing some owl treats for Hedwig they stopped in at Flourish and Blotts. Although the booklists hadn't come yet Remus knew the books for the core subjects hadn't changed since he had taught and knew what to get for everything except Defence Against the Dark Arts. Once they had the basic school books, Harry spent ages looking through all the books on a wide array of subjects. He knew the books set for Ancient Runes thanks to Hermione so bought the ones for all three OWL years and the two for NEWTs. He also got a couple of extras that Remus recommended for extra reading. Meanwhile Remus had found some good books on Occlumency and a few on Arithmancy which Harry had a passing interest in but no desire to progress to doing an OWL in. They also purchased books on magical law and wizarding history for Harry's personal library. Sirius had given him a list of extra books for transfiguration and Lily mentioned some good potions books in her journal that Harry had skimmed through in the hour they had in Gringotts.

By the time they left the bookstore it was almost time to go and collect Harry's new trunk. They stopped briefly to get some new furniture like a desk and bookshelves to put in his trunk. They also stopped at a shop that sold a small amount of muggle clothing and bought Harry a couple of new t-shirts and trousers. Finally they returned to the trunk shop. The shopkeeper opened the trunk and showed him each compartment in turn. He was very happy with it and paid the man before dragging it to the Leaky Cauldron. Remus shrank this as well as they didn't want everyone to know where Harry had been so they couldn't return with a whole bunch of purchases. Thanks to the will, Remus had an excuse to have been out of Grimmauld Place so could easily walk back in with Harry disillusioned. He apparated them both back and entered. Thankfully nobody was in the hallway so they both snuck back up to Harry's room where Sirius was waiting for them.

"You two were ages, how did it go?"

"Harry found Lily and James' will in the Potter vault. In it they specified Peter was the secret keeper and Amelia Bones is conducting an investigation into your innocence." Remus explained with a big grin on his face. Sirius' jaw dropped.

"Is this true?" He asked Harry in awe. Harry nodded and hugged his godfather.

"Amelia wants to see me and Remus tomorrow to get our testimony. I think you should come with us under the invisibility cloak. You can turn yourself in to her and get a trial. Maybe even right after mine." Harry said his eyes wide and eager. Sirius couldn't speak, he simply embraced the boy harder. They sat like that before Molly's voice reached their ears telling them dinner was ready. The trio made their way downstairs.

"Hello, Harry dear." Mrs Weasley greeted him with a smile. "Arthur will be taking you to work with him tomorrow and escorting you to the trial. I've set your clothes out for you."

"I appreciate the offer Arthur but I will be escorting Harry as we both have an appointment with Amelia Bones quite early." Remus cut in quietly but firmly. Molly opened her mouth to contradict this idea but Arthur spoke up first.

"That's perfectly fine Remus. We can all go in together. I need to be in early tomorrow anyway." Remus nodded and sat down beside Sirius. Harry sat on Sirius' other side and next to Tonks. Ron and Hermione kept shooting annoyed looks down the table at Harry.

"I think I need to talk to those two after dinner. I'll meet you guys in my room after." Harry whispered to Sirius who nodded but didn't look too happy about it. The rest of the meal passed in usual fashion. Tonks spent most of it changing her nose to people's favourites and the twins were in discussions with Mundungus. Harry chatted to Sirius about OWL year. Once everyone was finished, Harry stood up and left the room knowing that this was the first time he had left without Sirius and Remus so his two supposed friends would take the opportunity to follow him. He was right. He went into the room Ron was sleeping in and watched them, arms folded.

"What's been going on with you Harry?" Hermione started.

"I've been spending time with Sirius." He stated calmly.

"What about us? You've basically dumped us since you got here. You turn up, yell at us for something not our fault and then ignore us for a week. You're supposed to be our friend." Ron said looking hurt.

"Friends who spent the whole summer rubbing my nose in the fact that you two were together. With your nice little family while I was stuck at the Dursley's. Hermione you are muggleborn. What happened to muggle methods of communication?" Her eyes widened.

"Well we couldn't exactly get a phellytone." Ron snorted.

"Could have sent a letter by muggle post." Harry retorted.

"That could have been intercepted." Hermione persisted.

"By who? What pure-blood is going to check muggle post?" Harry's eyebrow was raised. "I doubt many of them even know anything about it. And as for not spending time with you I will be spending months with you at Hogwarts. This is the only time I can spend with Sirius. Besides, he has been helping me prepare for my trial. Teaching me all the laws and getting me new robes. I didn't mention it because I couldn't stand Ron shooting me jealous looks all the time while talking about me getting new things. I also wanted the lessons to be bonding with me and Sirius but I knew as soon as you, Hermione, found out I was having lessons about wizarding law you would want to join in and would pester me until I gave in." Harry glared at both of them.

"You didn't know about your family's standing in the wizarding government?" Hermione looked astounded.

"When have I ever had a chance to find out, Hermione? I've spent most of my years at Hogwarts trying to find a way to survive until the end of the year. The Dursley's are not exactly likely to be good people to ask, nor would they take me to anywhere I could find out. Not to mention Dumbledore is usually insistent on monitoring everything I do and would probably try and stop me."

"He wouldn't do that!" Hermione protested, looking horrified.

"Yes he would Hermione. As my magical guardian was in Azkaban it fell to Dumbledore, both in his capacity as my headmaster and as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, to inform me of my heritage. He said nothing. Maybe he didn't want to burden me at eleven but that was not his decision to make. As it was his decision to leave me with my muggle relatives it should have been his duty to correct my ignorance of the wizarding world. Especially as I am such a figurehead in this world. I may hate my fame but can't deny it is there. It must have looked awful that the famed Boy-Who-Lived knew nothing about magic until his eleventh birthday. How many people I may have accidentally offended because of Dumbledore's decisions. He should have told me and left me do deal with the information as I saw fit. Dumbledore is not perfect Hermione. I won't deny he is a powerful wizard but he is human and can make mistakes. In my eyes he has made a few too many concerning me. You really need to stop looking at authority figures as infallible. The Minister for Magic is as corrupt as they come. That should tell you something. The fact that Hogwarts hired somebody like Lockhart or Quirrel to teach Defense should also remind you that teachers are not always right, or even intelligent." Hermione looked at him, speechless for a change. Harry turned to his other former best friend.

"Ron, I'm sorry I have money. But you have parents, a family that has loved you your whole life. You want my fame? All you see is the attention. Not all of it, in fact most of it, is negative. Second year, heir of Slytherin, fourth year being the champion which you even joined in on. This year, the Ministry is out to make me look mental. People staring at me, only noticing the scar on my forehead that I gained because my parents died. They think, that because I lost my parents and Voldemort couldn't kill me, they have a right to praise me, know every detail of my life or drag my name through the mud. You need to get over yourself." Ron simply gaped at him. He winced as Harry brought up his betrayal the year before and had the grace to look ashamed.

"I'm sorry Harry. It's hard though. I may have had a family but everything I get is second hand. Mom always rants about how perfect Bill was as headboy and Charlie as Quidditch captain. Percy was her little angel until the row and she doted over the twins. No matter how mad she got they remind her of her older twin brothers who died in the first war so they are special. She always wanted a girl so Ginny is a league of her own and dad's favourite. I'm just the one that's left. The twins constantly prank me, Percy was always telling me off for something and I get teased because all my stuff is crap."

"I never realised just how deep your insecurity went. You should talk to your dad, or even Bill. No matter what you have parents who love you though."

"Oh I know they do. They just focus on everyone else more." Ron sighed and sank onto the bed. "I know I was a crappy friend last year and I didn't deserve you forgiving me as quickly as you did."

"I am going to be spending most of the summer with Sirius and Remus but after dinner on a few days, maybe we could play chess or exploding snap." Harry offered. He didn't really want to completely lose Ron as a friend but he didn't think they would ever be as close as they had been. He needed to branch out and make new friends but it was nice to know someone would always have his back. Hermione was a different matter entirely. Harry was concerned that once his academic performance improved at Hogwarts there were going to be issues. Hermione was determined to be the best and not being so was distressing for her. He could see a lot of arguments coming up about that. Not dwelling on that he told them he needed an early night due to the trial and sped upstairs where Sirius and Remus were waiting.

"How did it go?/" Sirius asked.

"Sorted things with Ron. For now. I think it's nice to know he will have my back but I don't think we will ever be quite as close as before this summer. I'm not sure about Hermione. She won't be too happy if I start performing better than her in school."

"Don't worry about it. If she is truly your friend then she will be happy you are taking your studies seriously. If not, then she isn't a really great friend. Now, you need an early night." Sirius smiled. Harry nodded. Remus and Sirius helped him to unpack all of his purchases and organise it all in his new trunk. He bade goodnight to the two men and then got into bed. He did his meditation exercises and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Trials

Harry awoke the next morning to a wet face. Blinking and looking around blearily he saw a huge black dog sitting on the bed beside him, licking his face.

"Eww Padfoot. That's gross." Harry complained with a laugh. He pushed the dog off the bed where it transformed back into his godfather. Sirius was grinning widely and sat back down on the bed.

"Right, I've had Kreacher wash and press your robes so you can select whichever colour you like. As you didn't have time to go proper muggle clothes shopping you will have to use a school shirt and trousers. I have some dragonhide boots for you to wear to help make an impression." Sirius told him before getting up to let Harry get ready. Ten minutes later Sirius was escorting him downstairs for breakfast. Mrs Weasley was already in the kitchen with a dishevelled looking Tonks, Remus and Mr Weasley.

"Wotcher, Harry." Tonks beamed.

"Morning Tonks. Hey Remus." Harry yawned.

"What do you want for breakfast, Harry, dear." Mrs Weasley said, bustling around and fussing over his hair.

"Just toast thank you." Harry replied. Thanks to Sirius he felt confident in the trial outcome but he was still nervous. He expected Fudge to try and pull some stunt to discredit him.

"You'll be fine. Amelia is fair." Tonks assured him. "You've done nothing wrong and the law in on your side, just don't let Fudge railroad you."

"Thanks, Tonks." Harry smiled at her before accepting the toast from Mrs Weasley. Once he was done, Sirius wished him well and left the room to go and put the invisibility cloak on. Remus took Harry by the shoulder and led him to the front door with Mr Weasley following close behind. Remus apparated Harry to the Ministry. Mr Weasley tried to argue that it would be better to take the non magical entrance to show a good impression but Remus dismissed that idea.

"The point of leaving early is to get there early. If we waste time navigating muggle London trying to get to the entrance we lose valuable time." He explained. They strode to the visitors desk and Harry handed over his wand for examination. Once that was done they all went to the elevators. Remus was amused by Harry's disgust at the fountain of magical brethren and quietly told him it was a very accurate picture of pure-blood views. Once they reached the floor for the Magical Law Enforcement they bade goodbye to Mr Weasley and marched down to a door that had a gold plaque on. It read Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Remus knocked and received an invitation inside. He ushered Harry in and they saw Amelia sitting behind a large wooden desk. Bookshelves lined the walls and the floor was covered in a plush red carpet.

"Ah good. You're right on time." Amelia smiled. The two took the seats she indicated. "Now, I have looked into the matter and found the paperwork signed by both Millicent Bagnold and Barty Crouch to send Sirius Black to Azkaban with no trial." She began. As she spoke, Sirius took off his invisibility cloak. He had magically trimmed his hair for the occasion and put on robes that had once been his father's as they were the only ones with the Black family crest on. He looked nothing like the fugitive Harry had met two years before.

"Thank you for investigating." Sirius said with a wry smile. "I'm here to turn myself in and receive a trial." Amelia looked at him, dumbfounded.

"That...certainly makes things easier." She said once she regained her ability to speak. She conjured a chair for Sirius to sit in and then put him in magical suppressing handcuffs for appearances sake. She took a memory of that fateful night in third year from Harry, Remus and Sirius. Once all three were in the pensieve, Amelia dived in and the three waited for her to return. It was about half an hour until she came out of the pensieve looking grave.

"It seems that night was a great miscarriage of justice thanks to a good many mistakes made my several people. Remus you are lucky nobody was hurt or a note would have to be made which would be a shame. Susan spoke very highly of your teaching abilities." Remus smiled gratefully. They spoke a little more of that night and then a note flew into the room and Amelia read it, eyebrows raising with every word she read.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Fudge has changed the time of Lord Potter's trial in what I can only assume is an attempt to discredit him by having him arrive late. He has also moved it from my office to the courtrooms that haven't been used since the Death Eater trials." She glared at the parchment. Sirius let out a few choice words. "Come Lord Potter, I shall personally escort you down. Lord Black please put that delightful cloak back on and follow us. Once the trial is over I shall move the room straight onto your trial. Remus can wait with you outside under the pretense of waiting for young Harry. I shall come out and personally collect you. Will you submit to Veritaserum?"

"I will." Sirius nodded instantly. He put the cloak on and the four of them left the room. Amelia strode into the almost full courtroom and took savage pleasure in the look on Cornelius' face when he saw her with Harry. He sat down in the chair she indicated, looking nervously at the chains on the arms. He recognised the room from Dumbledore's pensieve.

"Now that we are all here we can commence the trial." Fudge brought everyone to order.

"Excuse me Minister? I would like to ask why I was not given the full 24 hours notice for changing the time of my trial that is required by law. The only reason I was on time was because I had an appointment with Madam Bones when she received her notification, not twenty minutes before the new time. This is a very obvious attempt to deny me my legal rights." Harry spoke quietly but firmly. Low mutterings broke out amongst the wizards and witches on the benches. Fudge looked flustered and his complexion grew redder.

"The owl must have simply missed you. The appropriate course of action was of course taken."

"Forgive me, Minister, then why was a member of this court only informed twenty minutes before the new time? I received no owl last night or this morning. So either the Ministry owl could not do its job properly or one was not sent." Harry replied. He saw Madam Bones fighting a smile.

"Let us get on with this blasted trial." Fudge blustered. "Disciplinary hearing of the twelfth of August," Percy began taking notes at once, "into offences committed under the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Interrogators: Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement; Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley."

He grabbed a piece of parchment from the pile before him, took a deep breath, and read out, "The charges against the accused are as follows: That he did knowingly, deliberately and in full awareness of the illegality of his actions, having received a previous written warning from the Ministry of Magic on a similar charge, produce a Patronus Charm in a Muggle-inhabited area, in the presence of a Muggle, on the second of August at twenty-three minutes past nine, which constitutes an offence under Paragraph C of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, and also under Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. You are Harry James Potter, of number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey?' Fudge said, glaring at Harry over the top of his parchment.

"I am Lord Harry James Potter, Minister. I am the Head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter." Harry replied.

"You are too young to be a lord." Someone shouted.

"I am not. As the last surviving member of the Potter family I am able to claim the Head of House ring upon my fifteenth birthday which passed not two weeks ago." He explained, keeping his cool.

"Very well, very well, Mr Potter do you deny these accusations?"

"It's Lord Potter and the muggle in question is my cousin who is well aware of magic. No statute of secrecy was broken, however..."

"So you don't deny using magic?" Fudge asked, interrupting him.

"I think you will find that the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery allows use of magic in life threatening situations."

"What possible life threatening situation could you face in a muggle suburb?" Fudge asked.

"Well as you told the court I used a Patronus charm I imagine the only suitable answer is Dementors. Two Dementors attacked myself and…"

"I hate to interrupt what must be a well rehearsed story..." Fudge interrupted again.

"Sorry, Minister but I have the right to present my defence and I cannot do so with you interrupting me every few seconds. This is the second time you have attempted to deny me legal rights. That in itself is a criminal offence." Harry pointed out and the muttering in the benches grew louder.

"Lord Potter is correct, Cornelius." Amelia stepped in.

"As I was saying, my cousin and I were in the park of a muggle suburb when I felt the air get cold. In August and it was a hot night. I knew something was wrong but didn't expect an attack. My cousin tried to blame me, he thought I was doing it but then I heard the Dementors. I cast the Patronus charm and drove them away. The only witness was Arabella Figg, my neighbour who is a squib so no Statute of Secrecy was broken and magic was only used in self defence."

"Two Dementors do not just wander into a muggle suburb." Fudge said stubbornly.

"I agree. As you believe Lord Voldemort to be dead the only options are that two Dementors went rogue or someone from the Ministry sent them after me in order to force me to use magic and therefore have this trial. Given what has been in the Daily Prophet this summer, I assume this is just further attempts by the Ministry to discredit me."

"Hem, hem." A toad like witch beside Fudge sat forwards. "I believe you are suggesting that the Ministry broke its own laws."

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting. If the only options are that they acted of their own accord then the Ministry clearly cannot control the Dementors, which I find concerning as they guard our prisoners. Or they can control them and somebody sent them after me." The mutterings turned to shouts of outrage at that suggestion. "I am willing to submit a memory or take veritaserum to confirm what happened that night."

"I want this dealt with today."

"I am sure you are eager to serve justice, Minister, but not at the expense of the law." Harry let him hear the quiet challenge in his voice. Fudge simply sat and glared at him.

"A memory will do Lord Potter. You will need to swear an oath on your magic that it has not been tampered with or altered in any way and then we can project it for viewing." Amelia called down. Harry drew his wand.

"I, Lord Harry James Potter, swear on my magic that the memory I am about to produce has not been altered in anyway." The tip of his wand glowed.

"Very well." Amelia smiled. She came down and showed him how to take out the memory and then displayed it for everyone to see. The court watched as Harry and Dudley fought, gasped over the comment Dudley made about Harry's nightmares. A few people shouted in shock when Harry lit his wand without it in his hand. Everybody saw the two Dementors arrive and Harry's failed attempts to drive them off. Amelia raised an eyebrow as Harry finally produced a fully formed Patronus and the Dementors fled. "Is that your first time producing a corporeal Patronus?" She asked once she had taken her seat again.

"No. Professor Lupin taught me in my third year." Harry smiled.

"Impressive." Amelia beamed. Fudge was looking mutinous and the toad faced witch was watching Harry with a look of rage.

"Well...a vote to clear the boy of all charges?" Fudge muttered unhappily. Every single wand was in the air except Fudge's own and the toad face witch beside him. With a sigh he brought his hammer down and declared Harry cleared.

"Before we break up I have a matter of urgency for the Wizengamot." Amelia called loudly before anyone could get up and leave.

"What is it, Amelia?" Fudge asked, annoyed.

"I have done an investigation and found that Sirius Black was given no trial by the previous Minister. New evidence has been uncovered that points to his innocence." The room went deathly silent.

"What nonsense is this?" Fudge blustered.

"I was at the reading of the last will and testament of Lily and James Potter yesterday. Their will stated clearly that Peter Pettigrew was the Potter's secret keeper, not Sirius Black." Amelia explained. "Lord Black turned himself into me this morning and we are here to give him a full trial." With that, she strode out of the room and returned with Sirius. He grinned at Harry and sat down in the chair that Harry had just vacated. Remus also came in and he sat with Harry in the witness stand. Accusatory shouts and insults came from some members of the Wizengamot while others just sat looking stunned. "Silence!" Called Amelia.

"Amelia, you can't just…" Fudge tried to but in.

"Just what Minister? Fix an injustice? Even if Lord Black is guilty it is illegal to send a member of a Noble and Most Ancient House to Azkaban with no trial. I am simply fixing a mistake made by the previous leadership." She put emphasis on the fact it was the fault of those before Fudge and watched as the wheels in his head turned. Cornelius was so easy to predict.

"Well, alright then but I must insist he take Veritaserum." He state to try and regain some control.

"Of course." Amelia nodded, hiding a smile. She gestured to Percy Weasley who was looking completely thrown by this turn of events. He scurried to fetch some of the truth potion and administered three drops onto Sirius' tongue.

"Are you Lord Sirius Orion Black?" Amelia took charge.

"Yes."

"What is your date of birth?"

"3rd November 1959." Harry filed that information away for the future. It then occurred to him he didn't know his own parent's birthdays.

"Were you the Potter's secret keeper?"

"No." Murmurs broke out all over the chamber at this revelation. Fudge looked worried but grateful Amelia had pointed out that it was the previous administration's fault. He was simply concerned it would come out that he had dismissed the Potter boy's claims Black was innocent a couple of years ago.

"Who was?"

"Peter Pettigrew. James wanted me but I thought it would be too obvious. Voldemort knew I was James' best friend so I would be a target. None of us realised Peter was a traitor." Sirius spat out the last few words.

"What happened on the night of the 31st October 1981?" Fudge asked nervously. He was hoping to at least still pin the murder of the muggles on Black.

"Peter had been made secret keeper a week before. It was agreed that I would check on him every week to make sure he was still safe. When I arrived he was gone and no signs of a struggle. It felt wrong and I was worried so I made my way straight to Godric's Hollow. I saw the house and I knew what Peter had done. What my suggestion had caused. The house was destroyed. The body. James." Sirius was crying now. Words coming between great sobs. "I was about to go when I heard crying. I made my way upstairs and saw Harry was still alive. I picked him up and calmed him down when Hagrid arrived. He said he had orders from Dumbledore to take Harry to Lily's sister. I argued that as his godfather Harry should be staying with me but Hagrid wasn't going to take no for an answer. I gave him my motorbike to get Harry there safely and I planned to fetch Harry once I had taken revenge. I tracked Peter down to a muggle street but he was waiting for me. He yelled for the whole street to hear that I betrayed Lily and James then used his wand to hit a gas pipe that exploded the whole street. Before I could curse him he cut off his finger and transformed into a rat, running off. I was so shocked little Peter got the better of me I just sat and laughed. Part shock and part grief."

"Peter transformed into a rat? He is not registered as an animagus?" Amelia frowned.

"James, Peter and I became animagi in our fifth year at Hogwarts to help our friend Remus. Peter is a rat, I'm a dog and James was a stag."

"An unregistered animagus!" Fudge exclaimed.

"What are you going to do? Throw me back in Azkaban? I spent twelve years there for a crime I did not commit." Sirius pointed out."

"Indeed. There will be a fine to pay but nothing more." Amelia stated firmly. "That will come out of the compensation for wrongful imprisonment."

"Many thanks." Sirius said dryly. Amelia then performed the charm to counteract the veritaserum and Sirius shook his head as if to clear it.

"All those who think Lord Black innocent?" Harry held his breath. Hands slowly started going up. A third. Half. More than half. Every single hand was raised except the toad faced woman beside Fudge. "Cleared." Amelia announced. Harry let out a gasp and ran to Sirius. The older man pulled him into a tight embrace, more tears flowing down his cheeks. The duo cared nothing for anyone watching. After a minute they realised the Wizengamot was breaking up. Remus came over and hugged both of them, having originally given them space. The three made their way out, escorted by Amelia Bones and two Aurors as none of the public yet knew of Sirius' innocence. People gasped and pointed as they saw Sirius, especially as he had his arm wrapped around Harry's shoulders. There were cries of 'Arrest him!' and 'Sirius Black! Quick! Aurors!' that Amelia kept shouting down. They finally made it to the atrium. It was buzzing and filled with reporters. Amelia had arranged a press conference.

"Hello. Good morning everyone. This is a press conference for the new twist in the case of Sirius Black. As of this morning he had been declared innocent and cleared of all charges. The kiss on sight order has been rescinded and replaced onto Peter Pettigrew, who is indeed alive." With that statement every single reporter began clamouring to ask questions. Fudge appeared at Amelia's other side, not wanting to miss out on positive press.

"Peter Pettigrew is dead." One reporter stated.

"No he is not. Mr Pettigrew is an unregistered rat animagus and faked his own death by cutting off his finger." Amelia smiled.

"He betrayed the Potters!" Another one called pointing a finger at Sirius.

"He did not. Lord Black was used as a decoy while Mr Pettigrew was named the secret keeper as stated in the Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter that was read at Gringotts yesterday."

"The previous administration sent Lord Black to Azkaban without a trial. That has been rectified today." Fudge cut in, anxious to push the blame of wrongfully imprisoning a member of a Noble and Most Ancient House onto somebody else.

"Why has it taken so long for Lord Black to have a fair trial?"

"Because his lack of trial was covered up. We only reopened the investigation when the new evidence of the Potter's will was recovered."

"Why was no will read when the Potter's died?"

"Because it was in their vault at Gringotts which was sealed until Lord Harry Potter could open it. He could only claim his Lordship on his fifteenth birthday, which has only just passed." Fudge puffed up as he was able to deflect all these questions to make it look like it wasn't his fault. All he had to do was stop Potter saying he had informed Fudge of this two years ago and he had ignored the boy, thinking him confunded.

"How can we trust anything Potter says?"

"I was present at the reading myself." Amelia stated sternly. "Lord Potter has aided the Ministry in righting a wrong. That is to be commended." She glared at the reporter in question.

"Can we have a statement from Lord Black?"

"I am grateful the Ministry has finally corrected the mistake made fourteen years ago. Knowing you are innocent is not much comfort when everyone thinks you guilty. The Ministry held my name against me, I am a Black therefore I am evil. I lost two of my best friends that night and was betrayed by another I thought to be a close friend. I lost everything and then was thrown in prison. I look forward to rebuilding my life and finally being able to do my duty as godfather to Harry. In the coming months I will be taking up the Black seat on the Wizengamot and redefining what it means to be a Black." Sirius finished speaking and squeezed Harry's shoulders.

"Lord Potter, what is your take on this?" Amelia noted that Fudge looked like he was desperate to stop Harry from saying anything. The last thing his reputation needed was more talk on Voldemort's supposed return.

"My parents died when I was one year old. I never knew them. I'm glad that the blame is now on the right person. I can never get back all the years I should have spent with my godfather, but I look forward to building a future with him. I am very grateful to Madam Bones for coming to the reading of my parents will yesterday and for doing a very thorough investigation into this very personal matter. I want that rat caught and punished for what he has done. Now I give a warning. There will be some who have spent the summer reading the Prophet and seeing them slander me. There will be those who think Sirius is not innocent despite being cleared after taking veritaserum and that he is going to make me turn evil, or even that we are both already evil and plan to take over as the next Dark Lords. You are idiots. A Dark Lord murdered my parents, why would I want to follow in his footsteps? My mother was a muggleborn and so is one of my closest friends, why would I want to persecute muggle-borns? May I remind you that two years ago the public feared for my safety as they thought Sirius was trying to kill me. You were all wrong about that. What else could you be wrong about?" Harry stood back taking a deep breath. Everybody was watching him, some with surprise and others with approval.

"Thank you, I think that concludes this conference." Amelia took charge again and ushered all the reporters out. "Sirius please come with me and we can get all the forms done to officially register you as an animagus." Sirius nodded and the trio followed Amelia back to the lifts and up to her office. It only took ten minutes to fill out the forms and get his name put on the register. Amelia also got Harry to fill out the forms to have James Potter's name put on the list as a record of his achievement. Once they were done, she offered to let them use her floo to leave the building instead of fighting back through the main exit. They gratefully accepted and went straight back to Grimmauld Place. Most of the Order were in the kitchen when they arrived.

"Just where have you been?" Molly screeched when she saw Sirius arriving back with Harry.

"At the Ministry. I have been declared innocent and a free man." Sirius announced gleefully. It appeared he had missed an Order meeting and Snape was sat at the table. His face froze in an expression of utter disbelief and hatred.

"What?" Dumbledore looked confused.

"Harry found Lily and James' will yesterday in the Potter vault. In it was stated clearly that Peter was their secret keeper not me. Amelia Bones reopened the investigation, found I never received a trial and they held one for me right after Harry's."

"Harry was not supposed to leave this house, it's not safe." Molly exclaimed.

"He wasn't the wanted criminal. If he wanted to go to Diagon Alley that's perfectly acceptable. He was accompanied by Remus, a responsible adult." Sirius replied, faking politeness.

"Congratulations cousin!" Tonks yelled, jumping up and hugging Sirius and then Harry.

"It was still a very large risk, going to the Ministry." Dumbledore said.

"Anyone would think you didn't want me to be free." Sirius glared.

"I'm delighted for you, dear boy, it just seems to be an unnecessary risk."

"Your problem is that now I'm free, I have full custody of Harry. No more meddling in his life for you. You no longer make the rules for him. He will be living with me and not the Dursleys. I agree he is too young to join the Order but I will be keeping him informed as I see fit." He raised his eyebrows, challenging Dumbledore who went pale as he realised Sirius planned to tell Harry about the prophecy, not knowing that he already had.

"You arrogant mutt." Snape sneered.

"Shut up Snivelly. You are welcome in my house for Order business only. You will be civil to Harry in school and if I hear anything at all about you bullying him in lessons I will make your life a living hell." Sirius threatened.

"Now, Sirius, I'm sure…"

"No, Dumbledore. I'm sorry, you might be alright with Snape belittling and verbally abusing Harry in his lessons simply because he is a spy but I am not. He is a professor and should behave as such. If I hear of anymore then I will be making a formal complaint to the school governors. I'm sure Harry and his friends have enough memories to provide of Snape bullying them in an inappropriate manner." Snape went a little pale at that. If he was forced from the school then he would be completely at the mercy of Voldemort. The Dark Lord would not be happy with his failure to remain in a good position, close to Dumbledore. "If you cannot correct this behaviour then I will make it publicly known why Harry is dropping Potions at Hogwarts and getting his own private tutor."

"It is not my fault Potter is a dunderhead." Snape growled.

"He is not a dunderhead. You just can't teach. Harry has told me about some of your lessons. You don't teach a damn thing. You give them a potion and then do nothing but belittle their efforts. You can't expect them to be perfect brewers immediately. You are supposed to correct them when they go wrong not just scourgify the potion and give them zero. Nobody learns anything that way. But regardless, Harry will be studying from Lily's journals." Snape flinched at the name of his former best friend. Sirius noticed and grinned. "If you paid more attention you would see Harry is actually far more like Lily than James." Everybody in the room was now watching the pair. Eyes flicked between them like a tennis match. Finally Snape got to his feet and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Start to heal

Albus Dumbledore was sat in his office at Hogwarts. The copy of the Evening Prophet sat in front of him claiming Sirius a free man. That he was free had the potential to ruin everything. He sighed. The horcrux in Harry's head was not going to go away now he had his godfather back and it would make the sacrifice the by had to make that much harder. The connection was getting stronger and Albus did not want Voldemort getting into Harry's head. He was upset that they no longer seemed to trust him to know what was best, he was Albus Dumbledore after all. He couldn't ignore they boy forever. Especially if Sirius had told him of the prophecy. Of course he couldn't give Harry all the details as only Dumbledore himself knew the whole thing but he could not bring himself to burden to boy even further. For once he had no idea what was the best course of action. He had made every move for the greater good, but he had had control of all the pieces in play. Now Sirius was a loose cannon who would move heaven and earth to help his godson. He shuddered slightly at the idea of how Sirius would react once he found out Harry had to die to defeat Voldemort. Just then his thoughts were interrupted. A red letter came flying out from his fireplace and he frowned at it. Suddenly, Andromeda Tonks' voice filled his office.

"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE HOW DARE YOU NOT TELL HARRY ABOUT HIS HERITAGE YOU BARMY OLD GOAT! WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN'S PANTS POSSESSED YOU TO SEND HAGRID TO BRING HARRY POTTER INTO THE WIZARDING WORLD? IT WAS YOUR DUTY AS HIS STAND IN MAGICAL GUARDIAN AND AS CHIEF WARLOCK AND YOU SAID NOTHING! YOU MUST BE GETTING SENILE IN YOUR OLD AGE TO THINK YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH DELIBERATELY KEEPING AN HEIR TO TWO NOBLE AND MOST ANCIENT HOUSES IN THE DARK ABOUT WHO HE TRULY WAS! SIRIUS WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS AND NOR WILL I! IF I HEAR ABOUT ONE MORE THING YOU HAVE DONE AGAINST EITHER SIRIUS OR HARRY YOU WILL DEAL WITH ME AND NOT JUST VIA A HOWLER!" WIth that the envelope exploded right in his face.

His door opened and Minerva peered in almost laughing as she spotted the headmaster sat behind his desk, a politely bewildered expression on his scorched face. His eyebrows and beard had grey ash on them, making him look older and more worn.

"Everything alright, Albus? I heard rather a lot of noise coming from your office." She did not admit she had been on her way anyway and had heard every word of the howler and she had agreed with every word. Minerva knew she had let her lion down many times over the years thanks to her blind faith in Dumbledore. Sirius had had a stern word with her about what Harry had told him about his previous four years at school, pointing out the failure of all teachers in regards to the boy and she had readily agreed. It had occurred to her that for every failure her response had automatically been 'Albus told me he would sort it' or 'Albus assured me,'. That had given her good reason to sit and think. Then she had had to attend the Will reading of two of her favourite students. The two events had tightened her resolve not to let her lion down anymore as long as it was within her power.

"I'm quite alright, Minerva. Just an angry parent." Dumbledore lied. He did not want his deputy finding out Hagrid had taken Harry to Diagon Alley as he had assured her he would be doing it himself as she had offered several times. She looked at him and then nodded once before leaving Albus to his own thoughts. 

The majority of the Order stayed and held a party to celebrate the success of Harry and Sirius. Harry's clearance had almost been forgotten with Sirius being freed but his godfather made sure the party was for Harry as well. He knew his godson had never had a proper party for him before. What he wouldn't give to curse those muggles within an inch of their lives. Mrs Weasley cooked up a feast and the twins had made banners to string across the kitchen.

"He got off, he got off!" The twins and Ginny kept singing at the tops of their voices. Everybody was in a good mood for a change except Mrs Weasley who kept telling the trio to quieten down to which they responded by shouting even louder. Sirius, Tonks and Mad-eye were chatting to Harry about Auror training. Remus was amusedly listening to Hermione rant about elf rights while everybody else tucked into the food. Kreacher was skulking around the edge of the room muttering under his breath, until Sirius saw him and told him to go and clean. Mad-eye then stood up and said he was leaving.

"You know, Sirius, why don't you look at getting a new house-elf? I know you can't get rid of Kreacher because of what he knows but a second one might actually clean the place." Harry asked.

"Well now that I can leave this house I'm going to start, with your permission, arranging with Gringotts to rebuild Potter Manor as a home for us. Once that is sorted I will definitely need some new house-elves but for now it's just easier to leave him be. I don't plan on living here, this will remain the Headquarters but I want us to have a home seperate from the war. Goblins will do the best job of assessing the rebuild and putting up wards. I will then add my own with the potential help of Bill Weasley." Sirius lowered his voice so nobody but Tonks could hear the conversation.

"Potter Manor?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, your parents lived there until your grandparents died. They moved in to help James' parents when they contracted dragon pox but Lily didn't want to live somewhere so large with just the two of them. James kept the place as well maintained as he could but after they died the place fell in disrepair I imagine. We should discuss this later." He added with a nod in the direction of Molly who was eyeing them with distaste. Harry nodded, trying to hide his annoyance at having to keep so many secret because certain people thought they knew best all the time. He knew Mrs Weasley was just trying to look out for him and had his best interests at heart but he found her smothering. He had had to look after himself for as long as he could remember, even into his school years when the adults around him failed to do their jobs properly. He had never really had a true childhood and couldn't stand having someone watch and criticize his every single move.

"ENOUGH!" Molly had finally had enough for the song 'He got off' and was now threatening to hex the twin's mouths shut if they didn't stop. Once everyone had eaten they packed most people up off to bed. Tonks left for guard duty and Sirius escorted Harry back up to his room. He promised to be back in a minute and left Harry to get changed into his pajamas, coming back in with a pair of mirrors. Harry looked at him, confused.

"You really need two mirrors to do your hair, Padfoot?" He asked with a grin. Sirius stuck his tongue out.

"These are an invention of your dad and me. They are two way mirrors. We used them to talk to each other in detention. Say the name and we can talk to each other at any distance. I've reconfigured yours so it responds to your name instead of your dads. Mail is going to be monitored at Hogwarts this year. Dumbledore says he hasn't been able to find a Defence professor so he thinks Fudge will assign one to be the Ministry spy at Hogwarts. Fudge thinks Dumbledore is trying to raise an army to take over the Ministry."

"That's nonsense." Harry frowned.

"That's Fudge. Now, I imagine one big target will be you. This person will have power over you and therefore will try to discredit you further or infuriate you to provoke an outburst and so prove to your classmates that you are unstable. You desperately need to control your temper. I know it will be hard but it is crucial. Occlumency should help as well. Remus will be starting your proper lessons the day after tomorrow. Thanks to my wrongful imprisonment Fudge will want to keep me on his good side for now but that probably won't last long. You can use these mirrors to rant to me and express your temper but you must control it in the classroom. We don't want them to have more excuses to try and expel you. We will still send letters to each other, it will be expected and someone will become suspicious if we never contacted each other but those letters must be as meaningless as the ones I sent you over the summer. We can chat every night through the mirrors."

"Who will become suspicious?" Harry frowned.

"I highly suspect both Dumbledore and the Ministry spy will be monitoring your mail specifically. Dumbledore, because he wants to know what I'm telling you and the Ministry spy because that's probably part of the reason they are there. Now that I'm free the Ministry will obviously be expecting us to be in contact and Dumbledore would know something was up if we never wrote to each other. Worse, he might suspect we have a new way to communicate and seek to monitor that."

"Thanks Sirius. These are a great idea." Harry grinned. No matter how hard things got, the prospect of being able to talk to Sirius every day would cheer him up immensely.

"The mirrors are undetectable so I'm going to have mine every Order meeting and you are going to listen in. I want you to get used to using them. You can't join or go on missions but knowledge is power and you need all the power you can get. We can't floo or talk openly through owl post anymore so this should always be your first point of contact. I need you to remember that. From what you have told me about your first couple of years at school, you never had adult help in important matters. It was you who had to go off saving the stone or saving the school when it should have been the professors."

"I was the only one who could open the Chamber." Harry pointed out.

"True but you should also have had proper help. Lockhart does not count as appropriate adult help. I'm astonished and horrified you felt he was the best option. With that in mind, I need to know you have both someone to contact and a way to do so safely so that you can discuss things before running off with half-baked plans that rely on luck. Not even you can get lucky forever Harry and I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Sirius was looking at him earnestly, pulling him into a hug. "I also meant what I said to Snape this morning. I want you to tell me if he is derogatory or verbally abusive towards you. I will not stand for it. I know Augusta Longbottom is on the board of governors and would want him removed immediately if she knew how he treated you and Neville. She is really rather scary once you upset her." Sirius winked. Harry laughed and agreed.

"I promise to contact you if I need you, but you have to promise not to just dismiss my concerns and say everything will be handled by the adults."

"I can promise I will never simply dismiss your concerns. However with me around you are going to have to get used to the fact that you don't have to handle everything by yourself. I understand that some situations will arise where you will be perfectly capable of dealing with yourself. We can discuss plans and I will leave you to it. Sometimes, things happen so quickly I won't have time to get there and help you, but I still expect you to have the mirror on your person at all times and alert me to what's going on so I can summon help. But with that comes the fact that you are going to have to accept that I will be trying to prevent as many life threatening situations as possible. I will be handling anything I possibly can, that is what a guardian is for. You tell me there is an issue and I sort it out. I promise to always inform you of the outcome but I will be the one to sort it out. Not because you're a child and can't handle yourself but because I love you and want to protect you." Harry's mouth fell open. He could not remember a single time where someone had told him they loved him. A few tears fell from his emerald eyes before he hurriedly wiped them away.

Sirius smiled and pulled Harry into a hug, allowing the teen to bury his face in Sirius' shoulder and cry without being seen.

"Love you too." Came a muffled reply but Harry didn't seem to be moving any time soon so Sirius adjusted his grip on the teen and lay them both down on the bed. He transformed into Padfoot and they both fell asleep.

The next morning dawned and a ray of light slipped through the curtains onto Harry's face. He woke with a start and his vision was covered by a large mound of black fur. Grinning, he gave the dog beside him a huge push so it rolled off the bed and onto the floor. A second later his godfather was growling at him.

"What was that for pup?"

"Fun." Harry quipped. Sirius jumped up and grabbed him into a headlock, ruffling his hair violently. Harry squirmed and wriggled until Sirius let him go and they both flopped back, laughing and panting. They stayed like that for a few minutes and Sirius had Kreacher bring them both some breakfast instead of going downstairs. They ate in companionable silence and once they were done, Harry turned to his godfather. He took a deep breath.

"As I'm going to be properly starting Occlumency with Remus, I want to talk to you and him about Cedric first. I need that off my chest before I can properly empty my mind." Harry spoke while looking at the floor. He didn't want to see the disappointment in his godfather's eyes at him being a crybaby. He had handled plenty of things before without needing to sit and have a heart to heart. Sirius didn't give him long to brood and put his long finger under Harry's chin, drawing his face up until they were eye to eye.

"I'm more pleased and honoured than I can say that you want to open up to us. I'm proud of you for accepting that you need to talk about this and seeking help instead of bottling it up inside. Is there anyone else you want to talk to? Not necessarily about this, but anything?" Harry bit the inside of his lip. He wasn't sure what he wanted. The whole concept of opening up was new to him and the list of people he trusted was incredibly small.

"Maybe the Weasley twins." He mused. "It would be nice to have a couple of people inside Hogwarts that understand exactly how I feel. Ron has the emotional range of a teaspoon, as Hermione would say, and I'm not sure he can truly understand how I feel. He's usually quite happy to just say I shouldn't feel something and expect me to get over it."

"On the other hand, maybe it would be good for him to hear exactly how you feel." Sirius suggested gently. Harry shook his head after a minute.

"No. Ron has rather a big mouth and I don't think he would be able to keep it secret. I mean, I know he wouldn't spill anything on purpose but he gets defensive and says anything that's on his mind without thinking, including other people's secrets. Hermione is out too. She would understand and empathise much more than Ron but she is much more likely to spend this next year annoyed with me. Too much is said out of anger and I don't want to give her the opportunity to say something both of us will regret, because I know she would feel bad if she spilled my secrets. Also, she seems to simply expect me to confide in her. She doesn't know when I don't actually want to talk about something and I think she would push too hard if we involved her. She wants and expects answer instantly."

"Ok. Do you want to talk to the twins separately or at the same time as me and Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Together, I think. Do you mind briefing them first, I'm not sure what they have heard about what happened that night and the night I first met you." Sirius nodded, quite happy with Harry's choices. Just then, Remus came into the room looking very ruffled.

"You!" He pointed a finger at Harry in a mock angry manner. "Do you wish to explain why I have just spent the last twenty minutes with the Weasley twins bowing at my feet saying 'we are not worthy' and then badgering me about what tricks I used to catch them at playing pranks when I was teaching?" Harry grinned cheekily.

"I might have mentioned how they had been taught by a Marauder."

"You don't say." Remus replied dryly. "Careful, they'll be after you next." He warned a cackling Sirius. This only served to make him laugh harder. However, he soon sobered up and told Remus of the decision that had been reached that morning. Remus wholeheartedly agreed with the plan and faked some annoyance at being the one elected to go and fetch the twins. Harry and Sirius spent the next hour going over some Potions revision. Harry found his mother's journals incredibly helpful. On each page was the recipe for the potion with handy notes on the sides, including ideas for alternative ingredients if some weren't available. Some notes were tips on extra ingredients to add to aid in keeping the temperature stable or stabilizing volatile ingredients. There were also references to books for more information on subjects Harry were sure to come up in essays. He was so glad his mom had kept journals for all her OWL and NEWT years in Potions. He had no idea how he was going to get through without them. With a better understanding of how certain ingredients reacted to each other or why you stirred counterclockwise, Harry found brewing a lot easier than before. He would certainly never enjoy lessons with Snape, but was confident he would be able to get through his exams so he could become an Auror.

Remus returned with a pair of grave yet proud looking twins. They both came in and hugged Harry before sitting down in chairs conjured by Sirius. He then conjured a sofa so he could keep Harry close to him and Remus sat on another chair so they formed a circle.

"Whenever you're ready Harry." Sirius said gently.

"I don't know where to begin." He mumbled.

"How about, we ask you some questions?" The teen nodded. "Ok, what is weighing on your mind the most at this very moment?"

"The fact that Cedric's death was so unnecessary and all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on him taking the cup with me he wouldn't have died. If I had let you kill Wormtail at the end of third year, he wouldn't have been able to help Voldemort back to power or kill Cedric. Not only that, but it was Wormtail who found Bertha Jorkins and got Voldemort the information about the tournament. If I had let you kill him, Cedric could have been school champion and won."

"Firstly, it wasn't your fault Harry. At the end of your third year both Remus and I were there. We could easily have killed him but we didn't. If you're going to blame anyone, we should at least share some blame for that. We were the adults and it was our duty to protect you. We chose to respect your wish as it would have helped me to become free two years earlier but we didn't have to. We could have killed him anyway, that was our choice." Sirius stated firmly.

"Secondly, if I had taken my potion that night, nothing bad would have happened and Peter would never have gotten away. Nothing could have stopped me transforming but with the potion I would have kept my mind and Sirius wouldn't have had to fight me off. He could have kept an eye on Pettigrew and then he also wouldn't have been able to get away." Remus pointed out.

"You can even blame Snape. If he hadn't acted like such an idiot, you would have gotten out of the Shack much sooner. Professor Moony wouldn't have transformed until well after you got back to the castle." George said. "It seems like there are a lot of reasons it went wrong that night. You can't blame yourself for that. The adults should have taken precautions, that's their job especially as two of them were Professors and all of the adults knew about Remus' problem."

"I guess." Harry brightened at the idea it could be Snape's fault but he still felt some of the blame was his. "I've often wondered why Snape was bringing your potion so late in the day. When we had that chat on Halloween he said he had made enough for a week and brought it to you before lunchtime. It seems a little suspicious."

"The potion doesn't work any better if I take it for a week or just the one dose." Remus explained. "If I take it the day before and not the day of the full moon it will only partially work and I could potentially still be dangerous. If I only take a dose on the day of the full moon it will work perfectly. I only took so much of it because I was being overly cautious despite knowing it wouldn't help. As for why he brought it so late in the day I have no idea, he never explained. Maybe he had exams to mark." Remus shrugged.

"Also, no matter why Pettigrew got away, only he is accountable for his actions. Nobody is to blame for what he chose to do." Sirius argued.

"You blame yourself for him betraying my parents even though that was all him." Harry retorted.

"That's true and I'm working on that. Once you go back to Hogwarts I will be going to St Mungo's to get some help healing after my prolonged exposure to Dementors. But I can't deny that if I had taken responsibility and been secret keeper your parents would not be dead."

"You don't know that Sirius. If you had been secret keeper they may have caught you. Voldemort would have tortured you and used Legilimency on you to get the answer. He would have killed you if he couldn't get his answer which would mean everyone with the knowledge of where they lived would become secret keepers. Peter would still have been able to hand over Lily and James." Remus pointed out. "The only difference in that scenario is that you are dead too and unable to do anything for Harry."

"I'm definitely glad you're not dead." Harry confirmed.

"Good to know." Sirius laughed. "But back to the original point, Peter is the only one to blame for what he does. How he got sorted into Gryffindor I will never know, he is a coward. It was his own choice to find Voldemort. His choice to cut off his own hand to bring his master back. Nothing you did could have affected those decisions, Harry." Sirius looked at his godson earnestly.

"Dumbledore said he owed me a life debt because I saved his life in the shack. That didn't stop him taking my blood to bring back the man who wants to kill me." Harry frowned.

"Life debts are tricky things. Both sides have to acknowledge them. There could be one between yourself and Ginny Weasley after what happened in the Chamber but you have not formally acknowledged that so it lies dormant and could never be activated." Sirius explained. "If you actually said to Wormtail that he owed you a life debt then he would be forced to act on that debt."

"You and Ginny?" Fred asked, having never been told the full story. His mom had simply told them that Harry and Ron retrieved Ginny from the Chamber not that either of them had ever been in danger. Remus sighed before giving them a quick account of what happened, having not explained this part in their briefing. They both gaped open mouthed at Harry before jumping up and drawing him into a three way hug.

"Thank you for saving our sister." They said together and then went to sit back down.

"Back to our original point, even acknowledging your life debt may not have been enough. He would still have killed Cedric and been able to take your blood. He wasn't threatening your life when he did that." Sirius dragged the conversation back.

"I guess I know that really but I can't help seeing Cedric's body in my dreams and all I feel is guilt." Sirius pulled him tighter.

"You saw Cedric's ghost of echo that night didn't you? Did he blame you?"

"No. Just asked me to bring his body back."

"Well then, if he doesn't blame you, you shouldn't blame yourself. You offered him the opportunity to win. He did not have to take that cup with you. Neither of you knew what was going to happen and neither of you are at fault." Remus smiled slightly. Harry nodded. He knew his feelings were not going to change immediately but he did feel the weight in his chest loosening with every word that was spoken.

"You did a good thing Harry. You offered Cedric a chance a glory and if the cup hadn't been a portkey it would have gone down as a very noble thing to do. The fact that Mouldyshorts made it a portkey shouldn't take away from the act itself." Fred told him. "You shouldn't feel guilty for doing a good thing no matter what the result." Harry managed a weak smile at Fred's name for the Dark Lord.

"Is anything else bothering you, Harry?" George asked. "Other than Cedric?"

"Dumbledore. I think he knows what this connection is between me and Voldemort but he won't tell me. His great plan is to ignore me. He once told me that he thinks that the night he tried to kill me, Voldemort accidentally put some of his powers in me. He never told me what he meant." Sirius looked pale.

"He put some of his power in you?" Harry nodded looking anxious.

"That doesn't change who you are Harry." Fred said immediately. "You are too much of a noble git to be anything like him, powers or not. Without those powers we would have lost Ginny forever and a dirty great basilisk would be wandering the halls of Hogwarts. If what Dumbles says is true then you have taken Mouldyshort's powers and used them to defeat his teenage self and Slytherin's own pet. A great prank if ever we saw one." Everyone laughed a little. Harry was warmed that none of them thought worse of him for having part of Voldemort in him.

"The only way he could do that is with dark magic. I will have a look in the Black library. The Black's have forgotten more dark magic than Voldemort has even dreamt about. It's why he was so anxious to have Black's in his ranks, like my brother and Bellatrix." Sirius sighed.

"I'm also concerned about how unhappy Dumbledore seemed to be about the fact that that you are free. It's like he wants us apart so he can keep sending me back to the Dursley's. Speaking of them, do you think someone could go and check the wards around the house? If there are any. Now that I will be living here they should break and I don't want them to die just because I don't live with them. The Ministry read out my address in the trial so any Death Eater on the Wizengamot knows where I live. Malfoy could easily find out from the Minister himself and even if the house is warded, the whole area around it won't be. I could easily have gone for a walk and been snatched. The Dursley's never paid a lot of attention to where I was unless I got home later than Dudley." Everyone paled slightly at the implications that Harry could have been kidnapped or killed despite the wards.

"Bill could do it." Fred offered. "We can speak to him, I'm sure he would be happy to."

"Thanks Fred." Harry smiled.

"How do you know I'm Fred?" He asked.

"I've always been able to tell you apart." Harry confessed with a smirk. The twins both stared at him. "No I'm not telling you how." They pouted at him.

"Even our own mother can't do that." George complained.

"It's actually rather easy." Sirius smirked. They both mock glared at him.

"I think that's enough heavy stuff for today. We can keep these sessions up if you want, Harry but we don't want to put you through too much at once."

"I'd like to keep having these." Harry admitted, rather shyly. Everybody nodded their agreement. The five then sat around discussing pranks that they had each played in their time at Hogwarts. Conversation then turned to the twins' shop.

"I've been informed a certain godson of mine is a secret financial backer." Sirius said in a mock stern tone.

"Yep." Both twins beamed at Harry.

"How is everything going? Are you able to get ingredients you need?" Sirius asked, looking excited.

"Well, Dung has been able to get a lot but he charges ridiculous prices." George grimaced. With Harry's money we can definitely afford it but it would be nicer to find a different way."

"I can deal with Dung for you. Tell me what you need from him and I'll get it. Dung is too scared of me since he left Harry duty to overcharge me." Sirius grinned wickedly.

"Awesome." They both returned the smirk.

Harry spent a lot more time with the twins over the next few days. They found he was actually incredibly inventive and they had a bunch of new ideas to develop. Sirius had granted them full access to the Potion's lab as well as providing some of the less dangerous books from the Black library. Molly had noticed the increased time spent with Sirius and the twins informed the Marauders and Harry that she had been on their case several times about leaving them alone. She didn't want them getting 'dangerous ideas' from Sirius apparently.

What she didn't know was that Sirius hadn't been in the house much. With his newfound freedom, he had paid a visit to the Daily Prophet and threatened them with a lawsuit. He had also reminded them that between him and Harry they owned the majority of the paper. The Prophet had since stopped printing anything bad about Harry. They continued to slander Dumbledore but Harry's name was no longer mentioned, in fact the only reason he was in the paper was good. They released a storm of good press about Sirius in order to keep him on their good side, reminding the public that Sirius had once been a very good hit wizard in the Aurors. Harry had been mentioned as his godson and his heir but other than that he had been kept out of the news.

Sirius had also been busy at Gringotts arranging to rebuild Potter Manor. He took Harry on a couple of these trips to teach him how to work with goblins. The two of them actually got on rather well with the goblins they had to deal with. Having Bill Weasley and Fleur on their side helped. The twins and Harry had approached Bill after one Order meeting and told him everything. After hearing what they had to say, he was firmly on their side. He agreed to help Sirius with the warding of Potter manor and to take a look at the Dursley's house.

Bill came back from Privet Drive looking incredibly worried. He told Harry and Sirius that there were no wards on the house at all. There was evidence of blood wards at some point but they had faded at least two years ago if not more. Both of them were horrified at the news. Harry immediately asked if Bill could put up some wards around to keep them safe and he agreed. It took him almost a week as he had to avoid being detected by Dumbledore but eventually the Dursley's were well protected once again which was more than they really deserved in Sirius' opinion. Anyone who could abuse a child didn't deserve to be protected by that same child but he knew Harry would never have it any other way that was just the way he was.

During the week Bill was warding the house, Sirius had taken Harry over to the Tonks'. Tonks had been there and immediately made Harry feel at home as she introduced her parents. They stayed and chatted for over an hour before Sirius had to get them both back to Grimmauld Place with the promise to come back the next day to begin Harry's lessons. Dancing lessons were not something he was looking forward to but knew he needed them. He found Andromeda to be a very patient teacher no matter how many times he trod on her toes. She smiled and told him she had charmed her shoes so she wouldn't feel it when Sirius told her how bad he was. These were now incorporated into the routine. For one hour after lunch Harry would take dance lessons at the Tonks'. Occasionally he would stay longer and she would teach him some of the political lessons if Sirius had a meeting at Gringotts.

They also continued with the healing sessions where Harry would sit with the twins, Remus and Sirius and talk about some of the things bothering him. Sometimes they would spend hours on topics, letting Harry get his thoughts out and then trying to help him sort out his feelings. Other times they would spend the time simply discussing pranks or developing new products as Harry did not want to talk and they were not going to press him. One thing Sirius did try and get him to talk about, was the Dursleys. In the beginning Harry was very reluctant to discuss what he felt should stay in the past but after some gentle conversations he began to open up. In return, Sirius told the group some things about his own childhood. Hearing how their hero had grown up only increased the respect the twins had for him. They were horrified about how both Harry and Sirius had grown up and impressed that they had turned out so much nicer than their families.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Back to Hogwarts

The rest of the summer was Harry's favourite time ever. Bill bought Fleur over a few times and apparently inducted her into the Order. She greeted Harry enthusiastically. Both were very happy to help out and be added to Harry's ever growing list of allies. Bill was also very helpful in aiding Sirius going through the Black library looking for what Voldemort could possibly have done to become immortal. They had both asked Harry for a detailed explanation of how the diary acted as they felt this was key but so far the search had yielded nothing.

Harry had one great day where Tonks had taken him and the twins into muggle London, although the row preceding it was rather spectacular. Sirius insisted he needed some clothes other than the rags given to him by the Dursleys. When it was announced at dinner that they were going, all the Weasley children and Hermione wanted to go too. Harry would have been happy to have them along but Mrs Weasley expressly forbade them going as it was deemed too dangerous. Despite Tonks being an Auror and Kingsley offering to accompany them alongside Remus, she still said no. This also meant Hermione was not allowed to go as Mrs Weasley took the stand of being her magical guardian. Fred and George kicked up a stink and pointed out that they were of age and could do as they pleased. This led to another large row as she shouted that they had been spending far too much time with Sirius and this nonsense would stop.

"Molly, I have warned you enough to stop being rude in my house. Fred and George have been very independent and caused trouble long before they met me. Nor will you say who I can and cannot spend time with in my own house. If you do not want your children in my company then you can leave and go back to the Burrow."

"The Headmaster…" She began.

"Dumbledore is not here. Not does he have any authority over any of these children during summer holidays. He can recommend it's unsafe as much as he likes. They will have two Aurors and Remus for company, I think they can handle anything that comes up. To launch a large attack on muggle London would reveal himself, not something Voldemort will wish to do. Harry is going, that is final. What you say to your own children is your business." Sirius sat back down, looking furious.

"We are of age." Freg stated looking mutinous. "We've been stuck in this horrible house, no offense Sirius, with basically nothing to do but clean. Even at the Burrow we can go out and play Quidditch. It's driving us all insane, mum. Let us blow off some steam." Molly did not look convinced. She shook her head and said none of her children would be going. She also announced that she would be going alone to get their school things as their letters had arrived during the row. There was a loud gasp that silenced the table, causing the argument to end rather abruptly. Ron was staring at something in his hand. Harry saw that there was a red, shiny badge with the letter P written on it in gold. He had completely forgotten that prefects were allocated in fifth year. Nor, even if he had remembered, would he have assumed Ron would be picked.

If he was perfectly honest with himself he would have thought Dean Thomas would have gotten the badge. He was quiet but confident. Worked hard and had respect throughout Gryffindor, not to mention hadn't caused half as much trouble as he and Ron had. Neville might have been a good choice but he was probably a bit too shy to really assert his authority. A loud screech burst out as Hermione realised she had been made prefect too. This, Harry would definitely have expected. His heart sank a little as he realised both of his former best friends were prefects which would leave him the odd one out. He suspected Dumbledore may have done this deliberately as Ron's behaviour in previous years was really not one of a prefect and his grades weren't particularly good either, both of which were important in being a prefect. He reflected that this would at least be a good excuse to make new friends. Ron and Hermione would have prefect duties that would leave him alone for good portions of time.

"Oh Ronnie! A prefect, that's wonderful. That's everyone in the family!"* Mrs Weasley was looking overjoyed.

"Oi! What are we? Next door neighbours?" Fred called indignantly. It was a well known fact that the twins have no desire at all to be prefects. As there was only one male slot per year it would mean choosing one over the other, something neither of them would be happy with. However, Harry could see the hurt in both their eyes as their own mother completely forgot they even existed.

"Hey! I'm not a prefect either." Ginny protested, trying to take make her twin brothers feel slightly better.

Bill too was slightly astonished by her words. He knew she put great stock in following rules to the letter but the twins were simply not made to be prefects and he felt there was nothing wrong with that. He was a little indignant on behalf of his younger brothers that their mother had almost completely dismissed them as non existent because one of them hadn't gotten a simple badge.

"We must decide what to get you." She was cooing to her youngest son.

"Get me?"

"Yes. A reward. Bill got new robes and Percy got his owl." Ron's face lit up.

"Can I have a broomstick?" Molly's face fell slightly.

"Not a really good one. There is a new Cleansweep out and it would be nice to have a new one." Ron muttered.

"Of course dear." His mother beamed. "A prefect. Well, if I'm going to be getting a broom as well, I must be off." With that she bustled out of the room.

"Now that mum's gone, shall we get going?" Fred turned to Tonks and Harry. They both nodded.

"Boys, your mother." Mr Weasley pointed out. He accepted that his sons were now adults but he really didn't want another row between them and his wife when she found out they had gone out anyway.

"We don't care." George snapped. He was still on edge from his mother completely dismissing them. "If 'everyone in the family' is a prefect and we aren't prefects then we don't have to listen."

"She was just excited." Mr Weasley tried to soothe them. "Give your mother a break, it's been a stressful time for her recently."

"We are going to London." Fred stated. He then marched out of the room with his twin. Harry quickly followed them with Tonks, Remus and Sirius not far behind. Sirius made his apologies for not going with them but he was needed at Potter Manor. The five of them left Grimmauld place and headed off into London.

Last time he had been to Gringotts, Harry had converted a load of money into muggle money specially for the trip. He handed a bunch off to Fred and George.

"As you didn't know about this, I figured you wouldn't have any muggle money. If you really want to you can pay me back in wizard money later." Harry said to stop any protests. They both nodded and beamed. Tonks wanted to stop in a couple of music shops that they passed and she told them about some muggle bands she liked listening to thanks to her dad. Then Remus insisted they visit some book stores where the twins came out holding title such as '1001 Practical Jokes', 'How to Make Your Own Pranks' and '99 Magic Tricks for Beginners' which gave them new ideas to make magical versions of. Harry bought a few muggle fiction books to read in his spare time. He also bought some textbooks for muggle subjects. He had decided that in the future he may return and get a muggle education as well but nothing was certain. He certainly didn't need more work in his OWL year so it was more for holiday study and future reading.

They stayed a while before Tonks finally moved them on to the purpose of their trip out. Ushering them into a department store, the twin's eyes almost fell out of their heads. The store was huge. Remus led them to the mens section and starting finding some clothes for Harry. An hour later he had seven t-shirts, five new smart shirts that could be worn at school. His school trousers were fine so they just got a few pairs of trousers and a few pairs of shorts. Much to Harry's embarrassment they also shopped for underwear and socks. The twins also bought some new clothes. They got some new, better fitting t-shirts to go under their Quidditch robes and became fascinated by muggle suits. The decided they liked those much better than robes and considered having them as uniforms for their joke shop. They picked out two suits in different colours and then the group marched to the till.

Once they were done with shopping, Harry decided to introduce the twins to hot dogs and pizza. They both looked disgusted by the idea until Harry assured them it wasn't real dog meat.

"But why call it hot dog if it isn't made of dog?" Fred looked confused.

"No idea." Harry shrugged with a smirk.

"You're pranking us aren't you? It is really dog." George guessed.

"Nope, it's not." Tonks assured them. Finally they both gave it a try and thought it was delicious.

"Of course it's made of dog." Remus smirked as they finished eating. Both of them stared at him in horror until he burst out laughing. Catching on, they glared at him, threatening revenge. "Don't start a war against a Marauder." Remus warned but his eyes were twinkling.

"You're on." They said in unison, grinning.

"I think they are about to break London." Tonks stage whispered to Harry. He laughed. Harry was thinking it probably wasn't a good idea to give the twins muggle sodas as it would make them even more hyper but figured it wasn't him who would have to deal with them when they got home. He made a point of pointing out Fanta to them. Both of them were keen to try it and loved the taste. They then made it their mission to try as many fizzy drinks as possible, amazed by the sheer variety on offer. They were used to only really having pumpkin juice or butterbeer. By the time they had finished, they were practically bouncing off the walls. It was then, Tonks and Remus decided it was time to head back. Shepherding hyperactive twins was no easy task and both adults were amused and exasperated by the time they finally arrived back at Grimmauld place. Everyone was grateful they actually arrived before Mrs Weasley got back so they avoided an argument for the time being.

Harry went up to give Ron the hotdog and some muggle sweets he had saved for him to try. He figured that his friend had done the same for him when he hadn't been able to go to Hogsmeade. Ron was ecstatic. Harry also gave Hermione some of the books he had picked up on the muggle subjects, not knowing whether she was continuing her education on the muggle side of things. She was a mixture of delighted with his gift and horrified she hadn't thought of doing muggle exams as well as magical ones. Harry tried to point out that they would have enough on their hands this year and she wouldn't want to jeopardize results in either world by doing them both at once. She reluctantly took his point but decided she would definitely be studying the books he gave her.

He then left them to enjoy their presents and went upstairs to see Sirius and Remus. They were going to spend the afternoon on lessons. Harry had already covered all the material from his previous years by now and they were progressing into fifth year except for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Remus was teaching him the proper syllabus for Defense as they suspected it would not be taught properly. Sirius then took him through Potions. Harry had found his mother's journal to be amazing. He treasured it almost as much as his invisibility cloak as it was the only thing he had that was Lily Potter's. As well as actually teaching him, they did have Harry doing homework. They had him practising his essay writing both on material from his previous years and of that from fifth year. For every essay he wrote, they all sat down and pointed out how he could have phrased things better or how to choose the most important information to put in.

"Your professors will not appreciate having more rolls of parchment than they ask for. If they ask for two then they want two not four. This is for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it just increases the time they have to spend marking essays, which they have enough of already. Secondly it takes skill to be given a load of information and be able to pick out the most important parts and put them in your own words. Simply regurgitating what the textbook says is not enough. It shows you can read, but not whether you understand it or not." Remus lectured him one afternoon. "Thirdly, limiting the amount you write is also for your own benefit. In the exams you only get a certain amount of time. Spending too much time on one question will see your answers in other become more rushed and less satisfactory. The length of answer they require will be the amount that should be written in the exam. It is long enough to get the information in that will get an Outstanding but not so long that it takes away from other questions." Harry nodded his understanding.

Harry was also pleased with his progress in Ancient Runes. Having done the most study in this subject they were now onto the fourth year material. Remus fully expected him to be up to date with the fifth year material by Christmas. He only expected it to take that long because he would have a lot less time for studying it at Hogwarts as he was not taking it as an elective. He reckoned Harry should be done with the fourth year material by Halloween and then able to catch up on the rest rather quickly.

Finally, the last day of August arrived. Harry had never been less excited about returning to school. With Sirius finally free, he wanted to catch up on the twelve years they had missed. The last two months had been very good for both of them. Harry had been able to learn so much more about both of his parents. He was delighted that they seemed so much more real to him now. They had their flaws but were good people who had loved him. Having his mother's journals also helped him connect to her in a way he hadn't been able to before. He frequently ran his fingers over her handwriting, or sat and re-read a page several times because it had turned into more of a diary for that one page. Several times her exasperation at his father had been expressed in the corner of a page. At the very back he found a game of hangman she had played with Alice Longbottom, both of their names signed at the bottom of it. They had also made snide comments to each other, leading Harry to assume they had been doing this during a lesson rather than in the common room.

Mrs Weasley was going up and down the stairs shouting at her children to make sure they were packed for tomorrow. They would be having an Auror escort in the form of Tonks and Mad-eye. Sirius was also determined to see Harry off to Hogwarts for the first time. Remus had wanted to come too but unfortunately the full moon had been the night before and he wasn't feeling up to it. They threw a party to celebrate the kids going back to school before everybody went to bed early as they had to be up early.

The next morning was the usual chaos. The twins managed to knock Ginny down the stairs after George dropped his trunk into her because he stepped on Crookshanks. Harry, who had packed the night before and whose trunk was shrunken in Sirius' pocket, watched the chaos in amusement. Finally everyone was ready and they made their way towards Kings Cross. On the platform they went through the barrier in ones and twos. Sirius took Harry's arm and marched through. The platform was so full they managed to get by relatively unnoticed except for the occasional person who eyed Sirius warily.

"Shall we find a compartment?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione.

"Sorry, Harry. Both of us have to go to the prefect compartment." Hermione said. Harry shrugged and moved off and the twins had already left with Lee Jordan. Ginny was desperately trailing after him but he ignored her. They soon found a compartment with Neville in and a blonde girl Harry didn't know. Choosing that one, he had Sirius come in and unshrink his trunk. Neville looked up and greeted Harry before looking startled at the appearance of Sirius. However, whatever he had heard about the man, Harry clearly trusted him and Neville trusted his friend's judgement.

"Good morning, Lord Black. Congratulations on your freedom." Neville said formally. His grandmother had drilled the correct greeting for Lords into him since he could talk.

"Neville, right?" Sirius questioned. "How are you?"

"Fine thanks." Neville still looked a little uneasy.

"How are your parents? I was horrified when I found out, they were such a lovely couple."

"Same as ever really." Neville looked even more uncomfortable with the turn of topic until Sirius mentioned he had known his parents. "You knew them well?"

"Yeah. James and Lily were your godparents as James was working under Frank in the Aurors and Lily was best friends with Alice all through Hogwarts." Sirius explained.

"Wow." Neville's eyes were wide.

"I'll tell you some good stories about them sometime. Alice was quite good at getting into mischief, but forgetful as anything, mind. She'd forget her own head if it wasn't stuck on properly." Sirius laughed.

"I'd like that." Neville offered shyly. Sirius nodded. Then turned his attention to Harry.

"Have a good term and remember everything we discussed." Harry knew he was talking about keeping his temper in check. They had also agreed that Remus would continue Occlumency lessons through the mirrors. Although he wouldn't be able to actually attack Harry's mind from so far away, they could still go through the theory and meditation techniques. They hugged goodbye and then Sirius stepped back onto the platform. Just in time as the doors closed and the train set off. Harry hung out of the window and waved for as long as he could see the platform. Then he turned back to Neville.

"Good summer Nev?" He asked.

"Not as good as yours apparently."

"Yeah, mine was pretty special. Sorry, I should have asked your name." He turned his attention to the girl in the corner. He soon noticed she was reading a magazine upside down.

"Me? I'm Luna Lovegood." She introduced herself with a dreamy look that would put Professor Trelawney to shame. "You're Harry Potter."

"Yes I am." Harry grinned.

"How do you know Stubby?" She asked.

"Stubby?" Harry frowned, bewildered.

"Stubby Boardman, the man who came onto the train with you." She explained.

"That's not Stubby. That is Sirius Black, my godfather." Luna shrugged and returned to her magazine. Harry returned his attention to Neville.

"So what did you get up to?"

"Well my gran decided that now I'm fifteen I should start going to the Wizengamot meetings with her. I missed the one with your trial in because my uncle took me away for a week, but I went to the official quarterly meeting in July. It was dead boring, but as I will become Lord Longbottom in a few years I need to know." He looked gloomy.

"Well, at least you have had your gran teaching you. I didn't know anything about Lords or the Wizengamot until Sirius taught me this summer." Neville's jaw dropped.

"You didn't know? But your famous. That should have been you knew from birth."

"Raised by muggles. They certainly didn't tell me anything but nobody else did once I got to Hogwarts either." Harry shrugged.

"Harry, don't you realise what a big deal this is? My gran would have a fit if she knew. I'm really sorry I didn't realise sooner. I'd have told her and she would have offered to tutor you herself. Would have been nice to have someone else in those lessons."

"Thanks Nev. That would have been awesome. Thankfully, Sirius has done a great job over the summer to catching me up but I'm sure there are things he has missed in such a short period of time."

"I'd be happy to help you catch up. There are plenty of Heirs at Hogwarts who would be equally horrified you didn't know and would help you. Susan knows a lot thanks to her Aunt. Hannah is an only child so is the heir to the Abbott's title even though she is a girl. They are one of the few houses who allow a female to hold the title. We often study Herbology together, you'd be welcome to join us and we could add stuff about law and being an heir to those sessions." Neville offered, happy to be of assistance to his dorm mate.

"That would be awesome. Thanks Neville. I'd love that, Herbology has never been my strong suit and you are one of the best in our year at that." Neville flushed red at the praise. "In exchange, I found a journal of my mum's on Potion making. I'd be more than happy to help you with Potions." Harry offered. He didn't know whether he would show Neville the compartment in his trunk, but he would definitely help him with the extra theory he had learnt and what he knew about ingredients. Maybe he would show him the trunk later in the year, for now he wanted it to be private. Neville was thrilled by the offer and even more so when Harry showed him the hangman game at the back of one journal. Neville then decided to go and find the two girls and see if they wanted to come and sit with them. While he was gone, Harry started up a conversation with Luna. He found out she was a Ravenclaw a year below him and they had a great time discussing Crumple Horned Snorkacks. Harry had no idea what these were but it was fun hearing Luna describe the holidays she had been on to find them with her father. Neville soon returned with Susan and Justin who had been in the compartment with them when Neville had arrived. Hannah was a prefect and so was up with Ron and Hermione.

"Hey Harry." They both greeted, sitting down.

"Hi guys. Good summers?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, mine was really interesting. By the way Auntie was really impressed with the way you handled yourself over the summer." Susan told him. Harry grinned.

"Yeah, your aunt was a massive help. I have her to thank for my godfather being free so I owe her more than you can imagine."

"She was more than happy to help. Aunt Amelia really hates injustice." Susan smiled slightly. Neville told them what Harry had told him and she was horrified. Justin looked a little confused, not understanding how big of a deal it was. The four made plans for the study group as Justin was also interested in learning how the wizarding government worked. The information was not readily available to muggle-borns. They decided that one evening a week should work. They could spend an hour on Herbology and an hour on wizarding law. They all sat and discussed their summers, making sure to include Luna, until the trolley came round. Harry bought a bunch of sweets to share with everyone. It was an hour later when Ron and Hermione came in. With them as well the compartment was now a bit of a squeeze.

"What are they doing here?" Ron asked bluntly, looking at Luna and Susan.

"Susan is a friend of Neville's and entitled to sit with him. This is Luna Lovegood from Ginny's year but in Ravenclaw." Harry explained before they could take offence. Ron then shrugged, distracted by the remaining food. Ernie and Hannah then arrived, having been looking for Susan and Justin. They greeted everybody and dug into the food with gusto. They all settled down again until Harry asked if he could take a look at the magazine Luna was reading.

"No point reading that, Harry. Everyone knows it's just full of rubbish." Hermione said snottily.

"Excuse me, my father is the editor." Luna replied sharply.

"Oh, well…" Hermione looked faintly embarrassed but did not apologise for her comments. To avoid the awkward topic, they changed to who the other prefects were. Everybody was disgusted but not surprised to learn the Slytherin prefects. Harry asked Neville quietly to speak to Hannah and Ernie later about his lack of knowledge so the topic was not dragged up again in front of Ron and Hermione. He agreed quite happily, trusting Harry had his reasons. Harry could tell that Augusta Longbottom would be getting an owl very soon and grinned inwardly at her anticipated response.

Finally the train began to slow down as they approached Hogwarts. The girls went into the next compartment while everyone changed into their robes. They all got off the train and made their way to the carriages. Harry was surprised to see that the carriages were not pulling themselves this year. In front of each carriage was a skeletal black horse looking creature. He jumped backwards in shock.

"What is that?" He asked.

"What is what?" Ron looked confused.

"Those things, pulling the carriages." Harry frowned.

"There isn't anything pulling the carriages, Harry. You must just be really tired." Hermione asserted before getting into the nearest one.

"You aren't going mad. I can see them too." Luna appeared at his shoulder. "They are Thestrals and can only be seen by those who have seen death." She informed them.

"Who have you seen die then?" Ron asked. Hermione whacked him on the arm.

"Ronald!" She scolded. "Don't be so tactless."

"My mum. She died when I was nine." Luna explained quietly. Harry felt his heart go out to her and gave her a sideways hug. Then they all clambered onto the carriage. He was sad that Luna had seen someone close to her die, but rather relieved not to be going mad.

*A direct quote from Order of the Phoenix and one a really struggle with. Considering Molly Weasley is portrayed as a completely overbearing woman who monitors her children all the time, I cannot believe she would so easily say something like that. Not all of her children were prefects, there isn't any indication whether Charlie was one or not but it's not mentioned when she lists of what the others got as a reward for being made prefect so I'm inclined to believe he wasn't. Molly may consider being Quidditch captain to be just as good though. Either way I really like the twins and felt this was incredibly nasty, not to mention Ginny isn't even old enough to be prefect yet and so either doesn't include Ginny in the family or she automatically assumes that she will be made one. Sorry, I just really, really hate this moment in the book.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Dolores Umbridge

The ride back up to the school seemed much longer than usual. It was pouring with rain and they all pitied the first years who would have to cross the lake. As their carriage arrived at the castle and they all got out, Draco Malfoy got out of the one behind them.

"God this place is going to the dogs. Weasel, a prefect?" He said with his usual sneer.

"Shove off, Malfoy." Roon growled.

"Must be nice to finally not be second best to Potter." Malfoy smirked.

"If you really can't find any new jokes, Malfoy, I suggest you go away." Harry advised.

"So, whats it like living with a convict, Potter?"

"I'll answer that when you tell me what it's like living with a Death Eater. Tell me, does daddy know his master is a halfblood." Harry taunted. Malfoy's cheeks flushed pink.

"You'd better watch yourself Potter. I'm a prefect you know."

"So are we." Hannah, Ernie and Ron all glared at him. Malfoy simply sneered at them before nodding to Crabbe and Goyle and making his way into the castle.

"You could have backed up the rest of us prefects." Ron turned on Hermione as soon as they were out of earshot.

"There is no need to abuse the position before we even get into school." She said primly. Harry moved ahead with the Hufflepuffs and Neville so he didn't have to hear them arguing. They chatted happily until they reached the Great Hall where the two Gryffindors made their way to their own table at the far end of the hall. Harry took a seat next to George and Neville sat on Harry's other side. By the time Ron and Hermione arrived they were so deep into their argument that they didn't notice Harry hadn't saved seats for them. While they waited, Harry scanned the staff table. Hagrid was missing but he knew that he was still on his mission for the Order. Professor Grubbly-Plank was sat in his usual seat. The only other new face was the toad faced witch from his trial that Remus had identified as Dolores Umbridge. Apparently she was responsible for over half the new werewolf laws making it next to impossible for Remus to ever get a job which was cause enough for Harry to hate her already. Finally everybody had taken their seats and McGonagall placed the sorting hat on the stool. It's brim opened wide and it began to sing

" _A thousand years or more ago_

 _When Hogwarts first was founded,_

 _It was a place of friendships strong_

 _Where laughter oft resounded._

 _By the same well, worthy goal_

 _There were four friends united_

 _Never did they ever dream_

 _They may one day be divided._

 _How could it go so wrong?_

 _How could such friendships fail?_

 _Well I was there and so can tell_

 _The whole sad, sorry tale._

 _Bold Gryffindor himself_

 _Took those of purest heart_

 _Whereas wit and cleverness_

 _Set Ravenclaws apart._

 _Hufflepuff found the loyal_

 _Most worthy of admission_

 _Slytherin took only those_

 _Of purest blood and great ambition._

 _These differences caused discord_

 _To creep among the friends,_

 _And for a while it did so seem_

 _The school must meet an early end._

 _Then Slytherin did depart_

 _And was gone from thereon after,_

 _Unrest still lingers in these halls_

 _That once held only laughter._

 _Hogwarts is at its strongest_

 _When united from within,_

 _So listen close and heed my warning_

 _Or external foes will win._

 _I sort you all_

 _And quarter every year,_

 _Still I wonder whether this_

 _Will bring the end I fear._

 _I've said my piece_

 _Don't crumble from within_

 _Against my better judgement_

 _Let the sorting now begin."_

"Cheerful this year, isn't it?" Ron commented.

"It's warning us that war will be starting. We need friends not more enemies." Hermione told him shortly.

"Be friends with the Slytherins? I don't think so." He huffed.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss them all just because Malfoy is a git." Harry warned him in a low voice.

"You-Know-Who came from there." Ron protested. "So do all dark wizards."

"Pettigrew came from Gryffindor." Neville said, remembering the story in the Prophet. Ron simply shrugged and said nothing to this. Harry smiled at Neville and turned his attention back to the staff table.

Dumbledore stood to make his start of term announcements. Despite his current anger at the headmaster is was reassuring to have him still at Hogwarts. If the Ministry took control of the school in the current climate, it would be a disaster. The room fell silent as he stood up.

"The start of a new school year is upon us. I'm delighted to see you all back for yet another year of learning. I have a few start of term announcements to make. We must welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank." There was some loud applause at this. "We must also welcome Professor Umbridge as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was considerably less enthusiasm about this appointment. "As usual the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students." He turned his gaze on the Weasley twins who both beamed at him. "Also Mr Filch has now added some new items to the banned list which can be viewed on his office door. I believe this now includes Ever Bashing Boomerangs and Fanged frisbees."

"Hem Hem." Dumbledore stopped talking and looked around. Everybody else was looking for the source of the noise and it took them a few seconds because, although she had stood up, Umbridge was really not much taller than when she was sitting down. "May I speak, headmaster?" She asked, though Harry could tell it wasn't a question.

"Of course." He agreed cheerily before sitting back down and looking as though he could not wait for her speech.

"Hello children, I must say I'm delighted to be back at Hogwarts and see all your smiling faces looking up at me. I'm sure we shall all be very good friends." Harry could see a lot of people holding back snorts at this statement.

"As long as we don't have to adopt her fashion sense." Lavender giggled to Parvati. They were not the only ones disgusted by the amount of pink on the woman. As soon as Harry had seen her stand up he withdrew his mirror that Sirius had given him. Thanks to the charms on it nobody could see what he was doing as he whispered.

"Sirius Black." Almost immediately his godfather's face appeared in the mirror. He took one glance at the surroundings and replied in an equally quiet whisper.

"What's wrong pup?"

"Umbridge is our new defense Professor. She's about to make a speech I thought you might be interested in hearing." Sirius nodded so Harry just held the mirror and fixed his eyes back onto the witch.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching. Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts have brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."*

Harry looked around and saw many people had started chatting during this speech. Ernie seemed to be trying to live up to his prefect badge and listen but his eyes had glazed over. Hermione and he seemed to be the only ones actually listening. Harry had taken Sirius' warnings to heart and knew this woman would be one to try and provoke him. He had seen the hatred in her eyes when he had been cleared of all charges and the anger when Sirius had also been freed. Sirius' friendship with Remus was well known and she hated werewolves which was going to be an extra reason she would hate him. He was going to have to be really careful around her. Looking down at the mirror he saw a frown on his godfather's face. He whispered that he would talk to him properly later and deactivated the mirror.

"Well that was a load of waffle." Ron commented as she finally sat back down.

"Thank you, Professor Umbridge, for that illuminating speech. Now please tuck in." Dumbledore stood quickly and sat back down again as food suddenly appeared on the golden plates.

"There was important stuff in that waffle." Hermione informed him.

"Like what?" Neville asked her.

"Like the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts. That the old ways should remain in place and never move forward unless it benefits the Ministry." Hermione explained. Harry then tuned out the conversation in favour of food. Once he had had two helpings of all his favourites, he struck up a conversation with the twins and Lee Jordan. The trio helped to bring Lee up to date on some of their new products. They had begun working on something to work with the Puking Pastilles. Although they would be more for feeding to enemies that for skiving yourself. They had also developed a much wider range for the fake wands. Once dinner was finished Dumbledore stood and told them all to head off to bed.

"Come on Ron." Hermione said as she stood up.

"Where are we going?" He asked, looking confused.

"We have to take the first years to the common room." She informed. "They told us on the train only a few hours ago." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh right." He stood up as well. "Oi midgets!" He called to the terrified looking bunch of eleven year olds.

"What's the new password?" Harry asked as they left.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." Hermione called. "Ron don't call them midgets. First years follow me please." She took off, dragging Ron behind her. Harry sniggered and left the table with Neville as they headed up the marble staircase.

"At least I have a chance of remembering the password this time around." Neville grinned. They entered the common room and went straight to their dormitory. They were the first two up and all their stuff was ready for them as usual. Harry got changed and straight into bed. Once the hangings were drawn shut he cast silencing charms on them and pulled out his mirror.

"Sirius Black." His godfather's face appeared as quickly as before.

"Hey pup." He grinned.

"How are you coping? MIssing me yet?" Harry smirked.

"Cheeky brat. As a matter of fact I've been too busy to miss you." Sirius stuck his tongue out. "I have to go to St Mungo's every week for two months for checkups and they've given me a potion regiment. Three disgusting potions twice a day, every day for the whole two months."

"You poor thing." Harry said sarcastically.

"I think I am a bad influence on you. I swear you weren't this cheeky at the start of summer." His godfather grinned. "Now, about that speech, I am glad you called me. Remus listened in and spent the whole time growling. She is probably the worst person the Ministry could ever have picked to be a teacher. You will need to be extra careful. She will have no qualms about looking through your mail so be very careful what you put in there and she will push you hard. Keeping your temper will be even more vital. Umbridge is Fudge's biggest lapdog and I don't believe she is a Death Eater but she definitely holds the same views. It's more likely she will not even try to teach you magic. The book assigned is one that is written by someone who hates the very idea of defensive magic. It covers theory only and from that I assume you won't be using magic. It would be a good idea to set up a study group and just learn yourself with a few others or you lot will be in trouble for your exams." Harry nodded.

"If she hates us using magic we are going to have to make it a secret group. If she finds out would that not give her an excuse to try something on me as we are expecting?"

"Yes it would but honestly I think getting through your exams is important. If you are expelled I can teach you from home. Obviously I'd rather you got your education at Hogwarts but getting it anywhere is better than none at all. Fudge will not stop with Umbridge in Hogwarts. He will want more control, more spies. If we can't find a way to stop him it might be safer for you not to be there anyway." Harry was startled that it could get that bad. Sirius clearly saw his worry. "Don't worry too much pup. This is one of those things where I will be working on it from here. You need only focus on getting through this year. Fifth year is hard enough without trying to overthrow the government as well."

"Causing trouble has always been your forte." Harry grinned.

"Too true. Now, you get some sleep and we will chat tomorrow night ok?"

"Ok. Night Sirius."

"Night pup. Love you." Harry felt warmth filling him up.

"Love you too, Siri." He put down the mirror, took off his glasses and lay down in bed. Knowing tomorrow was likely to be a very trying day he practised his Occlumency before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Harry woke feeling refreshed. He had had no nightmares or visions as his Occlumency worked. He was the first awake so he got himself into the shower and dressed by the time anyone else woke.

"Good summer?" He asked Dean who was sitting up and pulling on his socks.

"Yeah, pretty good thanks. Better than Seamus' anyway." He glanced over at his friend's still sleeping form and lowered his voice. "His mom reads the Prophet and almost pulled him out of Hogwarts. She believes Dumbledore is going senile but Seamus isn't sure what to believe about you. They spent weeks completely slating you and then your godfather got set free and not another word was said. His mother thinks Sirius threatened them but that you were lying." He explained. Harry sighed, he had expected this, but not from his own dorm mates. Surely Seamus, who had shared a room with him for four years, knew him better than that.

"Thanks for warning me. I don't want any problems with Seamus, or to cause any for you being caught between us." Harry smiled his appreciation and then headed down for breakfast. He knew Ron slept like the dead and couldn't be bothered to wait for him. He was one of the first down and was already mostly done by the time Neville joined him. Soon Angelina came over to talk to him.

"I've been made captain." She told him.

"Congratulations." Harry smiled, pleased for her.

"Trials for a new keeper will be held on Friday next week and I want everybody there."

"Cool. Yeah, I forgot Wood had left." Harry frowned. Wood had been an extremely good keeper. "I'll be there." He agreed and she marched off to talk to the twins who had just entered the hall. Finally they sat down beside Harry. He told them what St Mungo's had said about Sirius in a quiet voice as they had practically been adopted by the Marauder over the summer. It had been Sirius who made them feel better whenever their mother had slated their dream and compared them to their older brothers. Or told them off for apparating everywhere when she had been quite happy for Percy to do it the summer before. Sirius had been interested in their ideas and helped them where possible and they were now almost an invested in his health as Harry. They smiled that he was finally getting the help he needed to start recovering from Azkaban. Just then, McGonagall came round with the timetables.

"Urgh, any Puking Pastilles ready yet?" Harry asked in horror as he stared at his day. Fred looked over his shoulder.

"Sorry little brother, we are still having those issues where you won't stop vomiting. Although, it would still be worth it looking at that."

"You're telling me. Double Divination, History of Magic, Potions and double Defense Against the Dark Arts. That's the worst Monday I've ever seen."

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that correctly did I?" Ron had come up behind them as Harry was talking. He glanced down at his own timetable and groaned. "This should be considered torture." Neville was also agreeing with him.

"We'd better go if we have Divination first." Harry muttered. They made their way up to North Tower and climbed the familiar trapdoor. The room was full of the usual smoke and smells that usually made them all sleepy. It was boiling as per usual as well. Harry made no effort for the entire lesson and spent it playing hangman with Ron. He had decided he wasn't even going to bother with this class anymore. He was going to ask Professor McGonagall if he could drop it and use the free period to study his Ancient Runes.

The day passed incredibly slowly. By the time they reached Potions, Harry was tempted to go back to the dormitory for a nap. They stood outside the dungeon classroom as the Slytherins approached having clearly just had Herbology. Malfoy's face lit up with glee when he spotted Harry was was just about to open his mouth when Snape emerged from the room. Everyone filed in and Harry got out his notes from his mother's journal.

"Well, I think it important to remind you this is a very important year. At the end of the year you will be sitting a very important examination. Though I expect we will be saying goodbye to a good many of you after this year, I will not accept any failures from this class." His eyes lingered on Harry, nostrils flaring. He set them making the Draught of Peace which was incredibly delicate and fiddly work. Thanks to a few tips from his mother, Harry avoided a few of the trickiest parts by adding an extra ingredient here and there. By the end of the lesson his potion was the exact shade of turquoise as stated in the book. His was also emitting the right shade of silver vapour that was slightly lighter than Hermione's. Hermione was looking at him in astonishment. Snape came over and Harry quickly bottled a sample in case he vanished the potion.

"Cheating, Potter?" He asked smoothly.

"No Professor. I simply added a sprig of wiggentree bark to stabilize the potion and allow it to simmer at exactly the right temperature when it turns purple, as, if heated even a fraction off, it can turn green and you are unable to make it right again." Harry explained. Snape looked at him with an unreadable expression. He then moved on to Neville's cauldron.

"What is this supposed to be, Longbottom?" Neville's cauldron was emitting green sparks.

"Draught of living peace, sir." Neville muttered.

"I'm sure." Snape said sarcastically as Malfoy's gang all sniggered. He then vanished the contents of the potion. "You did not add enough hellebore. That's a zero for today Longbottom." He then moved on to praise Malfoy's potion.

"Unlucky Nev." Harry commiserated once they were free of the dungeon. "He was just angry he couldn't do that to me." Neville nodded. "Besides, yours was way better than Goyle's. He had to scoop his out as it looked like cement. Crabbe's even exploded but he picked on yours. You should speak to McGonagall." Harry advised. "Send a letter to your gran as well."

"I don't want to make a fuss." Neville muttered.

"You deserve to pass your OWL and not be bullied by a pathetic git." Harry said firmly. Neville looked doubtful. "Tonight I'll show you my mom's journal and we can go over some of the information in it to write the essay he set us." Harry offered.

"Thanks Harry."

"How did you brew that?" Hermione asked, coming up behind him.

"I added some ingredients to my potion in the right order." Harry replied smartly.

"But yours was the exact shade of silver vapour from the book. Even mine was slightly off, though it was almost perfect."

"I explained it to Snape. It goes wrong if not heated at the precise temperature stated in the book, however the porcupine quills cause temperature to fluctuate small amounts. Wiggentree bark helps counteract it."

"It didn't say to add Wiggentree bark." Hermione countered.

"It wouldn't. You can still brew the potion well enough without it. It's simply an extra that helps." Harry informed her.

"Well, how did you know to do that?" She persisted.

"My mom was good at Potions. I found her journals in my vault."

"Let me have a look." She demanded.

"No, sorry."

"Why not?"

"Well, you didn't actually ask first of all. Secondly, It's the only thing I have of my mothers. I'm not actually letting Neville have it, I'm simply going over information in it with him."

"Well then you can go over it will me too."

"I might not have the time, Hermione. If I do then I will, but I think we are going to have a lot of homework and this is something Neville and I can work on in the dormitory where it is quiet."

"I've been up there before." Hermione shrugged.

"Have you indeed Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall's voice came from behind them. They had been so engrossed in talking, they hadn't noticed walking right passed her classroom.

"Well, it was only to wish the boys Happy Christmas." She said in a small voice.

"No matter what it was for, there is a reason it is the boys dormitory, not boys and girls. You could have easily wished them happy Christmas in the common room. Do not let me hear of you going up there again please." Hermione nodded and they all headed off to Defense Against the Dark Arts. Umbridge was waiting for them in the classroom.

"Good morning children." She said in a sickly sweet tone that Harry associated with his Aunt Petunia when she spoke to Dudley.

"Good morning Professor." Some people mumbled in response.

"Now, now. That won't do at all will it? You will say 'Good morning Professor Umbridge." She smiled at them. Most of the class exchanged glances to see if she was actually serious. A cough saw them all responding as she desired. "That wasn't so hard. Well done." Harry tried very hard to not roll his eyes. He was not sure he could stand one double period with her, let alone an entire year. She wrote the course aims up on the board and then told them all to get their books out. "No wands will be required. Please read chapter one. No need to talk." Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Miss…?"

"Granger. I have a question about the course aims."

"Well, if you read them I think you will find they are rather simple." Umbridge simpered.

"There is nothing in them about using magic." People now started looking up and re-reading what was written. When they saw Hermione was right they all looked over at the Professor.

"Why on earth would you need to use magic in my classroom?"

"We won't be using any?" Dean broke out.

"Hand please. You are children. There will be no need to use magic in here."

"What about our exams? We have a practical part to our OWL." Lavender questioned.

"Hand please! Now, as long as you have studied the theory hard, there is no reason you should not be able to perform the spells in your exam."

Hermione shoved her hand in the air again. "You expect the first time we perform the spells to be in front of an examiner? That's ridiculous."

"Now, dear, I don't think you know better than the Ministry. This course has been approved by the education board of the Ministry, unlike the rest of your education in this subject so far. In fact the only decent teacher you appear to have had is Professor Quirrell." Harry had to slam down his Occlumency shields and physically bite his tongue to stop himself pointing out that Quirrell had been great except for having Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head. Instead he tried to focus on how interesting it was that she thought a person possessed by Voldemort was the best teacher so far.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts is supposed to teach us to defend ourselves. How are we supposed to do that without magic?" Dean tried a different tact.

"Do you expect to need to defend yourself in my classroom. You are able to learn in a risk free environment." Harry tried, he really did but his temper spiked.

"If we are attacked it will not be risk free." He ground out between his teeth.

"Who do you expect to attack children such as yourselves?" She asked and he spotted the trap. The eagerness in her eyes served to help temper his emotions.

"Could be anyone. I was attacked by Dementors over the summer in a muggle suburb. Not everybody in the world is a good person and innocents usually get caught in the crossfire. It's better to be able to defend yourself than accidentally get in trouble and be helpless." Harry replied coolly. She looked disappointed and realised she would not get a rise out of him this time, however he did not think for a minute she had given up. She would continue to needle him and he would need to stay on his toes and in control.

"I am your Professor and I will follow the curriculum set. Now, please get on with reading." With that, everyone turned back to the book and were soon bored to tears. Everybody was glad when the bell went and they rushed out of the door. Harry was simply pleased to have gotten the first encounter out of the way unscathed. He followed Neville out of the door and marched down to dinner.

*Quote taken directly from the Order of the Phoenix

(A/N Harry/Daphne has come out as the definite favourite. That will be the final pairing, however at the moment Harry has pretty much no connection with her or dating experience so those rooting for those two please be patient. He will go on a few dates with other people and it will take quite a while until they get together, probably mid sixth year but timings are yet undecided. Other pairings are still open although Neville/Luna or Neville/Susan seem to be the other favourites.)


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Tryouts

The rest of the week seemed to flash by to Harry. The Professors were setting ridiculous amounts of homework. Harry and Neville had agreed with the Hufflepuffs to meet on Wednesday evenings for Herbology revision and political lessons. Harry and Neville also set aside Thursday evenings for Potions. He managed to keep ahead of his homework with difficulty and knew it would be troublesome once Quidditch started up again. However, hopefully with Wood no longer captain they wouldn't end up with practises five times a week as they had in his third year. As Angelina was taking her NEWTs this year, he hoped it would give her motivation to keep the amount of practises down to a sensible amount, but never the less he was very much looking forward to the season starting again. It had been too long since he had flown.

On the Tuesday morning, after their first Transfiguration lesson of the year, Harry had approached Professor McGonagall about dropping Divination and using the time to self study for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Despite his reservations at the beginning of summer he had eventually grown to like Arithmancy and wanted to take it at OWL level if he could. She had readily agreed as long as he took tests with the Professors of each subject on a regular basis so that they could tell he was actually doing the studying and not slacking off. The teachers would then set him essays every now and again too so that he could have them marked as they would be in the exams. Harry agreed quite readily to this, pleased to have the supervision. She also wanted him to take the fourth year end of year test in each subject to see what standard he was at. As Remus had told him he would be up to date for fourth in Ancient Runes by roughly Halloween, he was happy to take the test. However he requested a little longer for Arithmancy as he had started studying that later. It was agreed he would take that test at the end of October.

Ron was not happy when Harry told him on Wednesday that he had dropped Divination but in the end shrugged and decided to simply pair up with Neville. Hermione was delighted he had taken up her favourite class but wasn't happy when he told her that he was self studying for both his new subjects instead of joining those classes. Simply telling her he had his guardian's permission to do so was not enough for her. Harry had had to deal with days of her nagging him to join the classes so that the teachers could help him and otherwise threatening not to give him any of her notes. She grew even more infuriated when Harry had simply shrugged at that.

"According to the rules in Hogwarts a History you are so fond of quoting, students are allowed private tutors if they wish to take up a new subject after their third year. Once they have caught up on the classwork they have the choice to join the classes or to continue with the private tutor. I'm simply choosing to continue with a tutor. I find it easier."

"What tutor? I've never seen anyone coming into school to teach you."

"You wouldn't have. They aren't coming here in person. I've sorted it all with Professor McGonagall, that's all you need to know." He told her, before walking off with Neville to their study session with the Hufflepuffs. Today, Professor Sprout was letting them use the greenhouses as she trusted Neville and the members of her own house not to abuse the privilege. He found that Hannah knew almost as much about Herbology as Neville did and he ended up partnering her and Ernie as she showed them the best way to deal with the venomous tentacula. Neville was with Susan and Justin working on Snargaluff Pods. Hannah was much quieter than the girls he was used to. She didn't talk his ear off every time he asked a simple question like Hermione would. Nor did she giggle every time he opened his mouth like Lavender or Parvati. They worked in companionable silence except the odd question from Harry and Ernie or direction from Hannah.

After a while they switched round and Harry ended up with Susan and Neville while Justin went over to Hannah and Ernie. Susan and Neville were clearly used to partnering each other as they worked in complete tandem. Harry almost felt like an outsider watching the two of them but they made every effort to include him and teach him the best way to deal with the Snargaluff pods.

"This will make Professor Sprout happy. She always complains we don't get enough pods during classes and she ends up short." Neville beamed. They were all covered in scratches and sweat but pleased with themselves. The other three came over and the decided to split up and have showers before regrouping in the Library to go over the political side of things. It only took Harry and Neville half an hour to get back to their tower and each have a shower so they made it back before the Hufflepuffs. They chose a section near the back of the library but still in clear view for when the others arrived. Harry got out the Transfiguration homework he had brought with him and started work on it. He spent a little while helping Neville understand some of the concepts and just as they finished up, Justin and Ernie came over with the two girls.

"What are you two working on?" Justin asked, flopping down beside Harry.

"We've just finished up with Transfiguration." Neville told them. "Harry's really good at explaining stuff."

"Wish we had someone to explain Defense to us. We aren't going to learn anything with the toad around." Ernie complained quietly, looking around to make sure she couldn't overhear.

"You want to start up a Defense study group as well? We won't have any time left at all." Hannah looked at him.

"Well Defense is incredibly important. My family and I believe Harry when he says You-Know-Who is back and we need to be able to defend ourselves." Ernie puffed out his chest.

"Thanks Ernie." Harry smiled slightly, used to the boy's pompous nature. "Hannah has a point, we can't make a study group for every subject, there isn't enough time."

"I agree with Ernie, though. Defense is the most important one because we don't have a proper teacher. Herbology we can learn from Professor Sprout." Susan spoke up. "Aunt Amelia had a fit when she found out she was going to be teaching us. Apparently she had a massive row with Fudge about it but we got stuck with her anyway."

"Well at least someone in the Ministry has their head on straight." Harry grinned at her. Susan grinned back.

"So do we swap Defense for Herbology?" Neville put the question to the group.

"We have to. The question is where do we meet? We can't use the greenhouses to study defensive spells. If Umbridge catches us she won't be happy. There is a reason she won't let us use magic." Susan pointed out.

"So now it's a secret group?" Hannah raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Seems that way. If Umbridge found out I'm very much willing to bet she would go straight to Fudge and get another decree passed that bans all study groups or something." Susan told them all seriously.

"Ok, well we will all go away and see if we can come up with somewhere to meet up. We can regroup for our Herbology revision next week and discuss any ideas we have in the greenhouses. Less likely to be overheard." Harry suggested. They all nodded at his idea and then the conversation turned to what they had actually planned to discuss. Justin was fascinated with how the wizarding government worked and Harry was pleased to get different views than just Sirius'. The four purebloods also had much more up to date knowledge than Sirius had of people's positions in the wizengamot and current views on certain issues. They ended up spending well over their allotted hour on the subject and only just realised the time when Madam Pince chased them out right before curfew. Harry and Neville bade goodbye to the others and headed up to the tower.

"That was really great, Nev. You and Hannah really are great at Herbology." Harry smiled at the shy boy.

"Thanks. The gardens were pretty much the only thing my grandmother trusted me with when I was younger. As I was such a late bloomer with my magic and she wouldn't let me fly it was the only thing I could do that counted as magical in their eyes. My uncle Algie also goes abroad a lot and looks at exotic plants, sometimes bringing some back for me to examine." He explained.

"That's really cool. Well, it's too late tonight to do anything else tonight so I'm heading straight for bed myself." Harry yawned as he gave the password to the Fat Lady. Neville nodded and they both headed straight to the dormitory. As usual, as soon as he entered the room, Seamus stopped talking and climbed into bed, pulling his hangings. Harry sighed but settled for this behaviour rather than an actual confrontation. He set the silencing charm around his bed and pulled out the mirror. A quick chat with Sirius made him feel much better and he was soon heading off to sleep.

Sirius Black was sitting in his study at Grimmauld Place on Friday evening. Everyone had just left after another Order meeting that basically said nothing was happening. He was sick to death of useless meetings about guarding the prophecy and making no attempts to do anything else to slow down Voldemort. Hagrid was off talking to the giants but they didn't really expect any success from the angle. Giants could be just as prejudiced as humans and not many would listen to the word of two half-giants. They couldn't stop Voldemort making a move for the aid of Dementors because he could offer them more than the light side ever could. Dumbledore and Snape suspected he would make a move on Azkaban at some point to regain more followers and at the same time claim the Dementors as his own.

All these plans of his they suspected but couldn't stop. Fat lot of use they were. Sirius had put his foot down to Remus going back to the werewolves after he came home from his last mission severely injured and it had taken him several days to recover. Making a plan on the spur of the moment had gotten him in trouble before, he needed to bring out his inner Slytherin. The very thought made him shudder. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he took one of the nutritional potions St Mungo's had given him and began writing letters to Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom. As Lord Regent of House Potter it was time he began to reform the old alliances. He needed political power to give Harry the best chance of survival so that is what he would get. Nothing on this world would stop him giving his godson the best chance at a Dark Lord free life.

Once the letters were complete he sent them off with the owl he had purchased shortly after Harry had left for Hogwarts. Then he contemplated whether he should expand into the neutral territory. Sirius knew that a lot of houses were only neutral in the first war because they did not want to follow Dumbledore any more than they wanted to follow Voldemort. If he could offer them a third option it could sway a few to his side. It would require delicate work, something he had never been very good at and would require help with. Augusta Longbottom was a very shrewd woman who would be a useful ally. The tricky part would come when she had to deal with him as Lord Black, given what members of his house had done to her son and daughter-in-law. He planned to annul Bellatrix's marriage and cast her out from the Black family which should appease Augusta. He would then use Bellatrix's vault to pay a compensation, although he knew nothing could ever really compensate for the loss of a child, it was all he could do.

He was struggling to keep his eyes open when there came a soft knock on the door. He called for Remus to come in as nobody else knew where he was hiding. His oldest remaining friend came in and sat in the chair opposite him.

"You look awful." He said casually.

"Thanks, Moony, old friend." Sirius sighed.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing to delve into politics. Something that requires tact, delicacy and cunning, things I do not have much of. Cunning I can manage but the others rather escape me." Sirius buried his head in his hands. Remus snorted.

"You? I thought you were known for your tact?" He remarked sarcastically. Both of them laughed.

"I think not. I need to use the title of Lord Regent of the House Potter to attract the lighter orientated families and the title of Lord Black to attract the neutrals. I can barely cope with one title, let alone two. I also need to show the world that the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black is no longer one of the darkest houses you can ever come across. However, I will not be aiming for light either, I think I sit on the neutral pile to be honest. I've seen too much and suffered too much to ever truly see myself as a pure light wizard, Remus." He sighed heavily. "The people need something to believe in other than simply Dumbledore or Voldemort. Neither option is appealing but I don't know how to lead a bunch of politicians." He confessed. He knew they needed this and his greatest fear was that his failure would hurt Harry.

"Sirius, your grandfather groomed you for this from a very young age. Even James' father to a certain extent helped you keep up your studies. You are as prepared for this as you could ever be." Remus tried to reassure his friend.

"Being daring and rash are not going to help me here." Sirius muttered.

"But you're most certainly going to need your bravery and nerve. This is going to require the hard work of the qualities of all the houses. Bravery, hard work, cunning and intelligence. Harry said he could have been sorted into any of the houses and he has all the qualities needed for this. And so do you, Sirius. You and James were the smartest ones in our year, brave to a fault and you have cunning in spades or the majority of our pranks would never have worked. Hard work may have been a slight issue for you," He paused and smirked at his friend who let out a low chuckle.

"I may have been a tad lazy in my time."

"But with the right motivation you can easily do whatever you set your mind to. You became an animagus at fifteen, that took a lot of hard work and you did put an awful lot of effort into our pranks. You have every trait you need to pull this off, Sirius, it's just not going to be easy." Remus walked around the desk and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Nothing is easy these days." Sirius groaned. "Sometimes I miss the simplicity of our school days. Alright we grew up with a war going on but they were easily the best times of my life. Just the four of us, no betrayal, no fighting, just pranks and girls."

"I miss that too Padfoot." Remus looked down at the man beside him. He sometimes forgot that Sirius had only just turned twenty two when he was thrown into Azkaban. That twelve years in prison would have made him grow up so quickly in some ways and yet stunted his emotional growth in other ways, especially as he spent the majority of the time as a dog. They stayed like that for a while, just drawing comfort from each other. Eventually, Sirius stood and brought his friend into a hug.

"Thanks for the chat Remus. I'm going to head to bed. I've just finished letters to Amelia and Augusta so far. I trust their judgement on who to approach next. On the neutral side I will be approaching Daniel Greengrass and Malcolm Davis to begin with but that can wait until after I've had some sleep." They broke apart and went their separate ways. Although Remus had been given use of the Potter flat, he often stayed at Grimmauld Place to keep his friend company. None of the Order member stayed much passed dinner time. Sirius had been very lonely since Harry went back to school even though Tonks stopped by as often as she could and he sometimes went to visit the elder Tonks' house.

Amelia Bones was reading a letter she had just received from Sirius Black. Despite leading the investigation to set him free, it had been done so quickly she was not quite yet used to the idea of him being innocent. Twelve years of believing one thing was hard to wipe out, which was part of the reason the Prophet had been launching a campaign of good press about Sirius all summer. Here he was asking for a meeting with her as the Lord Regent of the House of Potter. It seemed he wanted help preparing for the October Wizengamot meeting which was fair enough as she was head of the DMLE and he could not turn to the Chief Warlock as there had not been one appointed since Dumbledore was dismissed at the July meeting. Nor did she expect him to have a good view of the establishment that sent him to Azkaban without a trial and then covered it up. She looked down at the parchment once more.

Dear Lady Bones,

We met briefly when you did me that wonderful service of finally organising a trial for me and for that I must thank you. I am now writing to you as the Lord Regent of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. I would like to arrange a formal meeting with you to discuss an alliance between our houses. Due to the twelve years spent in Azkaban, I am slightly behind in the times regarding our political landscape and I would be most grateful if you could aid me in catching up before the October Wizengamot meeting.

Please reply with a time suiting yourself and I shall send you the floo details if you wouldn't mind allowing me to play host.

Kind regards

Lord Sirius Orion Black,

Lord Regent of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter.

An alliance was an intriguing idea. Sirius was playing with two houses on opposite ends of the spectrum and she wondered what stance he would be taking. He was well known for rejecting his family views and she had often heard James Potter refer to him as the 'white sheep in a black family'. It would be possible for him to hold two completely separate alliances, one for each house but she doubted that he would. His views would probably quite easily match up to that of his godson from what she had seen of the pair of them. If he played the light side of the field, he would have to fight Dumbledore for a share of the votes. Despite his recent disgrace, many people held the Hogwarts headmaster in high esteem. If he went for a more neutral stance then she suspected he would have a much greater chance of success. If she could reach an agreement with Sirius over an alliance, then Amelia herself was quite popular among the light sided families. She also knew her backing for this alliance would be of much use to Sirius as she was a well known and well regarded member of the Ministry and the Wizengamot. Something he obviously knew. It meant she had the upper hand in negotiations, something she rather liked. With the might of both Black and Potter behind him, Sirius could be the leading point for great changes in their community.

Her mind made up, she wrote a short response to Sirius and sent it back with the owl that had waited for her reply. Amelia decided she would have some discussions with close friends before meeting Sirius to see the current standing people had for him. She knew the current Lord Abbott was looking forward to the chaos a new Lord Black could cause. It would seem she had a few more letters to write and decided to get it over with now.

Harry woke on the second Friday of term looking forward to the weekend. He was grateful that he had a relatively light day as the past two weeks had been immensely stressful. The work piled on them was growing at a horrifying rate. Umbridge was trying to provoke him at every turn and keeping his temper was becoming more and more difficult. Having Sirius to talk to every night did make things easier though and he did not know how he would have gotten through these weeks without his godfather. Neville and the Hufflepuffs had also been a great help when he needed a break from Ron and Hermione. Ron was constantly trying to drag him into a game of chess or to go out for a fly instead of doing homework. He had told Ron they would keep one evening a week for fun but that wasn't enough for the red haired boy. He had gone for a 'walk' every single evening this week and Harry suspected he was practising for the keeper tryouts that very evening.

In between Ron's nagging he had Hermione angry at him for his sudden increase in Potions ability. She constantly wanted to check his mother's journals for things and it was driving him up the wall. At first he had agreed to do his Potion's homework in the common room so that she could check the relevant journal for tips every now and then but she had spent the whole time snatching the book from under his nose, so often Harry feared she would break the fragile binding, and pouring over it so that neither he nor Neville got a look in. He had told her to stop it or he wouldn't let her use it but she had completely ignored him and in the end he had gone up to the dormitory with Neville so that he could actually get some work done. This had resulted in her ignoring him for one blissful day before the nagging resumed, this time about how unfair it was that Harry had access to such a useful resource and refused to share.

One evening, Neville had caught her in their dormitory, looking through his things for the NEWT level journals, stating that as her friend it was Harry's duty to share learning resources. He had reported her to Professor McGonagall. Harry was very grateful for the extra security charms on his trunk so that she had been unable to open it and McGonagall had told Hermione that if she ever heard of her in the boys dormitory again she would be put on probation as a prefect. This had apparently also been Harry's fault as, if he had let her borrow the journals beforehand, she would not have had to go into the boy's dormitory. The fact that these were the only things he had of his mother's completely escaped the knowledge driven girl. She simply saw it as extra revision resources that Harry would not share.

As he got dressed and checked his timetable, Harry was pleased to see a double free period. The only time he got to really study on his own. However, today was the day he would be taking the fourth year Ancient Runes test. He had been told it only took an hour so he would have some time for some Arithmancy study. He approached the Ancient Runes classroom and Professor Babbling smiled at him as she ushered him in. The test was already sat on the desk in front of hers and he sat down.

"You may begin." She said. Harry turned over the paper and was relieved to find he at least understood the first question. One hour later he put down his quill and sat back in his chair. The last essay question had been on the topic he had yet to cover but could make a good guess at based on his knowledge. Other than that he felt it had gone reasonably well. Well enough he would be allowed to continue his self study. Professor Babbling came and took his paper.

"I shall grade this now for you if you don't mind waiting." Harry nodded and brought his Arithmancy work out from his bag. Sirius had set him an essay to do and he was only halfway through. Half an hour later the Professor motioned him over so he packed up and walked to the desk.

"How was it Professor?" He asked nervously. She smiled at him.

"I'm very impressed Mr Potter. Marking this to OWL grade you scored a low Exceeds Expectations. Considering you told us you had not yet finished the fourth year material, which was evident from the last few questions, you have scored higher than the average for fourth year. You clearly have some very good tutors. If you keep up this level of work I see no reason you shouldn't score an Outstanding on your actual OWL." Harry let out a relieved breath. He knew Sirius and Remus would be pleased he had done his best, no matter the score but it was nice to have something good to show them. "You are more than welcome to join your yearmates, however if you do not wish to then I will set you two essays now due in two weeks from today on the material you have just covered in this examination. Please inform me once you start on your fifth year material so that I can assign biweekly essays for you." Harry nodded.

"Thank you Professor."

"I will pass on your score to Professor McGonagall." She smiled and handed him a sheet of parchment with two essay questions on. He nodded and left the classroom. He made his way back to the common room and straight down into his trunk. They had Potions that afternoon and he wanted a go at brewing it before going into Snape's classroom. He knew Hermione was not the only one furious as his sudden increase in abilities and Malfoy was likely to attempt sabotage. Snape wouldn't stop him either. He'd probably award points, Harry thought bitterly. They would be doing a strengthening solution so he read through his mother's journal first and made a note of any extra ingredients she recommended. He had so far avoided taking the journal into the classroom as he suspected Snape would confiscate it on the grounds that it was not the proper textbook therefore he should not be using it. Instead he had scribbled in his own textbook any additional ingredients and when to add them. He also noted down any different steps offered, such as adding a clockwise stir or heating for a few seconds less than recommended.

Once he was done with note taking he decided to brew himself some healing potions instead of doing the strengthening solution as he would no longer have time if he wanted to grab some lunch as well. He settled for a basic pain potion and a blood replenishing potion. Since he had started brewing with Sirius over the summer they had agreed he should always have a stock of healing potions in case he ended up in any more life threatening situations. Sirius hoped he never would but Harry suspected otherwise, his life wasn't that easy.

Finally he heard the bell and cast a stasis charm on his potions before heading down to the Great Hall where he met Neville and Ron who had just had double Divination. Neville greeted him cheerfully but Ron simply grunted.

"Now that you've left the class she has decided Ron is now the new person who is going to die fifty different ways before he is seventeen." Neville explained. Harry sniggered.

"Only fifty, Ron? She told me I was going to die at least a hundred different times in one year alone." He said lightly. Ron managed a smirk at that.

"Yeah well, it's only been a couple of weeks. Give it time." He laughed.

"Just Potions left then it's the Quidditch tryouts." Harry tried to cheer him up. Ron perked up. They all ate quickly and Ron spent the rest of lunch trying to finish the essay Snape had set them on Monday. Once in the classroom, Snape swept in behind them.

"I shall now take in your essays and hope they are of a better standard than the ones I am returning. I repeat that I expect every single person in this classroom to pass their Potions OWL. If the quality is consistently this bad, I shall have to start handing out detention to those dunces who scored a D."

"Someone scored a D?" Malfoy sniggered loudly. Harry looked down at the parchment that had just been returned to him and saw a spiky black E scrawled in the corner. It was higher than he had suspected Snape would give him but figured Sirius' threat must still be weighing on the man's mind. He thought the essay should probably have been worth an O given the extra information he had put in but figured Snape would never be able to bring himself to give Harry the highest grade. He saw Hermione leaning over trying to see what he had scored and pushed the parchment into his bag.

"We will be working on the Strengthening Solution today. Instructions are on the board." Snape flicked his wand and then began making his way around the classroom. Harry worked patiently and efficiently, reaching the stage where it would need to stew over the weekend, ten minutes early. He managed to get through the lesson without incident and returned to the common room with Ron to get changed into their Quidditch gear.

They made it to the pitch just as Angelina was separating everyone into two groups of five. As there was only one position open, only ten applicants had shown up. She had Harry join in as a temporary chaser and had two chasers on each team in a mini match. The five applicants at each end would rotate every five minutes and they would only have one bludger out for the twins to play with.

Harry was paired with Angelina and they started the match off. He managed to fly under and evade Katie Bell before attempted a pass that Alicia easily intercepted. She flew towards the post, working in complete tandem with Katie to get around Angelina and score passed the first applicant with ease. The Keeper passed the Quaffle out to their team and Harry only just caught the pass Angelina sent at him. Flying around the others was easy enough, but Harry quickly found out he was very much lacking in the passing ability. His shots were rather weak and most easily saved.

Half an hour later, Harry was delighted Ron was still in the running. Angelina then had the chasers take five penalties at each applicant. Harry was very pleased by this, rather eager to go back to seeking. Ron went first and saved three of the five. A boy called Geoffrey Hooper managed to save two. Another girl managed to save four but then admitted to Angelina that she was president of the Charms club and if practises clashed with meetings then Charms would come first. Angelina the announced that Ron was to be the new Keeper. Harry cheered loudly at this, though privately admitting his friend could do with a lot of work before he became anywhere near Wood's quality.

They then had a quick team practise and it went reasonably well. Angelina congratulated Ron once more before they all headed in for a shower. On the way back up, Ron kept recounting every single save he made, regardless of the fact that Harry had stopped listening five minutes into the conversation. Once back in the common room, Harry made his excuses and went up to the dormitory. He had a quick chat with Sirius and went straight to sleep despite the early hour.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Room of Requirement

With the weekend finally here, Harry set some time aside on Saturday morning for some Ancient Runes study. He called Remus on the mirror at the agreed time and they spent a couple of hours going over some of the more difficult material that Harry was struggling with slightly. He then emerged and found Neville was the only one in the Dormitory. The two of them decided to do the Potions essay that Snape had set the day before and get it out of the way.

"The first Hogsmeade weekend was put on the notice board this morning." Neville told him as they worked.

"Oh yeah, when is it?" Harry asked.

"Halloween."

"That's early for them to be announcing it then." Harry frowned. Neville shrugged. "We still haven't found anywhere to study Defence. I spoke to Sirius and he can only think of a couple of places, nothing that would be big enough for six of us." Neville flushed slightly.

"If it's just a study group, don't you think we should invite our whole class? Everybody needs to pass their exams."

"I wouldn't put it past Malfoy to tell Umbridge what we are doing." Harry said darkly. "His father is still close to the Minister. He would be more interested in ass kissing than studying. Can you honestly imagine Hermione letting it remain a simple study group. She'd be making schedules for everyone and everything."

"It was just an idea." Neville smiled. "If you don't want to that's fine. I know you hate crowds."

"Thanks, Nev. I just think people would turn up because I would be there. They would want to question me about last summer far more than they would want to study Defence." Neville nodded at that, having thought of it himself.

"I know. Do you think you could help me with the spells though? Most of what we practise is going to have to be practical and I struggle with that part." He flushed slightly.

"No problem. With just six of us we can all pair off and just practise spells." Harry smiled. Neville nodded and they got back to their essays. It was lunchtime before either boy emerged from the Dormitory. They made their way down to the Great Hall and Harry took a seat next to Ron. They quickly told him where they had been and tucked in to the sumptuous food. Ron suggested they spend the afternoon doing a chess tournament which the other two quickly agreed to, eager to spend some time not on homework. They managed to get Fred and George to join in as well and it lasted well into the evening.

"We have Quidditch tomorrow morning, so I'm heading to bed." Harry announced after losing to Ron yet again.

"Good idea." Ron said, still beaming from his victory. They both headed up the stairs and sat down on their respective beds. "Are you going to talk to Hermione?" Ron asked him, once they were alone.

"Not until she apologises." Harry shrugged.

"It's just awkward, you know?" Ron rubbed his nose, the tips of his ears going red. "I honestly don't know how you managed being put in the middle of all our arguments."

"I don't know either." Harry said dryly.

"You know she doesn't mean any harm. She just gets over excited."

"I know but she needs to learn to respect boundaries. Hermione has always had issues with seeing other people's viewpoints and keeping her opinions to herself. I gave her a chance to use my mother's journal and she ruined it. I even gave her a warning to treat it respectfully before I took it away from her and she ignored that too. She needs to realise that a thirst for information is good, but that it can come at a cost to other people. Her need to know things is going to get her into serious trouble someday." Harry shrugged helplessly. Ron looked thoughtful.

"I know. Her know-it-all attitude was why we didn't like her in the beginning of first year. We were alo rude buggers but we kinda had good reason."

"We?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember making snide comments that made her cry when a troll was on the loose." He looked amused and Ron grinned sheepishly.

"I didn't know about the troll." He muttered. "However it happened, she is our friend and we always put up with her quirks."

"Oh really? Third year? Last year with Krum?" Harry raised his eyebrows even further. Ron looked ashamed.

"Yeah, ok, me and Hermione have always had a rocky relationship but you two haven't. To be perfectly honest she is making life hell. All she does on prefect rounds is complain about you. It's weird. The only time you two haven't been talking is when she told McGonagall about the Firebolt in third year."

"I know, but over the summer things changed. I thought she would be pleased about my new interest in studying."

"She was, until you started outperforming her."

"Therein lies the problem. I never bothered before, partly because I never had anyone who cared what my grades were and partly because I knew it would upset her. She gets upset when someone else answers one question in lessons. But now I have Sirius who is taking a vested interest in my grades. He told me how smart my parents were and I'm ashamed at how lazy I've been. With a guardian now checking my grades and knowing exactly what I'm capable of I have to do my best."

"I get it mate, I do, but Hermione doesn't." Ron pointed out. "I don't think she quite gets that you never tried your best before. Therefore she can't work out exactly why you're doing better than her without cheating."

"I'm not doing any better than her in most subjects, just Potions and Defence." Harry mumbled.

"You are better on the practical side in most subjects. You were the first one to do the Transfiguration yesterday." Ron pointed out. "You might be level or slightly behind her in the theory side but that isn't enough for her."

"I know." Harry sighed. He bade his friend goodnight and drew the curtains around his bed. Ron seemed to have decided to be a much better friend since he had made it onto the Quidditch team. Maybe it had something to do with the assurance that Harry wasn't going to completely drop him as a friend. Something Harry knew he would never be able to do. Ron may have his faults but he had been his very first friend in the wizarding world, something he could never forget. They may not be best friends anymore, but Ron was trying and Harry appreciated it. He put up his Occlumency shields and drifted to sleep.

Sunday morning dawned with rays of sunlight flitting into the dormitory. Harry woke up and got himself dressed. Angelina had wanted to get started quite early so he woke Ron and they made their way downstairs. They both stopped in for some toast before heading to the changing rooms. They were the last two there but the rest of the team didn't seem to have been waiting long. Angelina was still in the captain's office while the others sat around chatting. Soon enough she came striding out and ushered them all straight onto the pitch.

"We'll start with a basic warm up and go from there." She told them as they all mounted their brooms. They flew up into a circle and began passing the Quaffle to each other. Ron managed to drop it the first time Harry threw it to him and dived after it, his face a red to match the ball. Loud jeers could be heard coming from across the pitch. Turning to look, Harry spotted Malfoy and his cronies in the stands, laughing.

"Ignore them." He told Ron.

"Pass it along, Ron." Angelina said crisply. He threw it on and managed to catch it on his next attempt. Unfortunately he was so pleased with himself that he threw it a little too enthusiastically and it soared far over Katie's head. More jeers came from the growing Slytherin crowd. They kept at it for another ten minutes in which Ron only dropped the ball twice more. Angelina then got them into a practise match and Harry was very relieved to focus on the snitch. However, no amount of focus could block out the sound of Slytherin jeers every time Ron let the Quaffle in. He spotted the snitch close to the ground, right by Ron's goalpost, deciding it was time to show off a little and draw some attention away from Ron, he went into a steep dive. Harry rolled neatly out of the way of Angelina and dived even steeper, it was exhilarating. As he neared the golden ball he pulled up so he was level, looped the post tightly and caught the tiny ball in his fist before soaring up to do a loop-the-loop. It worked and the Slytherin team fell silent before heading off to the Great Hall to get breakfast.

"Well done everyone." Angelina said once they were all back in the changing rooms. "Our next practise is Wednesday evening." They all nodded and got themselves changed. Having slacked off enough, Harry made a start on his homework.

The next few weeks passed quickly to Harry. Soon September bled into October as the days grew colder and wind bit the air. Sirius had written to tell him that he had secured an alliance with the Houses of Bones, Longbottom, Abbott, Greengrass and Macmillan so far. Greengrass was the only foray into neutral territory he had managed, but he was making headway with some others. They had also been invited to the Yule Ball held at Greengrass Manor over the Christmas holidays. Harry was most disappointed to find out that it was a family tradition for the Potters to hold a ball to celebrate the New Year. He told Sirius that he would uphold his family tradition even if he hated it and was more grateful than ever for Andromeda's dancing lessons. He had been very glad to find out that Neville was also invited to the Greengrass' ball so he would have a good friend there for his first formal evening in the political limelight. Sirius had also told him that once he decided who to invite to his New Year ball, he should invite the heirs in Hogwarts personally. Sirius would take care of the formal invitations to the Lord or Lady of each house.

Harry sat in the common room on Saturday morning in the middle of October. He and Neville were helping Ron with his Herbology essay. Harry was also helping the twins. They had hit a snag with the nosebleed nougats as they couldn't quite work out how to stop the bleeding so they were discussing ideas. Hermione was in the library as she was annoyed with the twins. She had threatened to write to Molly if they didn't stop testing their products on younger Gryffindors. Neither twin had liked that very much and were plotting their revenge for pulling such a low blow. They wouldn't have cared if she threatened them with detention, or even telling McGonagall because only their head of house should be able to write home about their misbehaviour but prefects had no right to write to the family of the students.

"Are you going to ask Hannah to Hogsmeade?" Harry asked Neville once Ron and the twins had gone down to lunch.

"I'm thinking about it. What about you and Cho?"

"No. Cho keeps trying to talk to me but it doesn't feel right anymore. She was Cedric's girlfriend. I get the feeling that she wants to talk about Cedric, every time she comes over she seems to struggle to find words and then gets tears in her eyes. She hasn't actually mentioned his name but our conversations haven't lasted longer than a few seconds. I really don't want to discuss it, so I can only see a date going badly. Other than Quidditch I don't know anything we even have in common." Harry explained.

"You've got a point. I overheard Hermione mention all she does is cry these days. Are you going to ask anyone then?" Neville asked. He had pointed out to Harry that him going on a date with someone would increase the chances of creating an alliance with that House. Harry had shrunk away from the idea of dating simply to get alliances but Neville had simply shrugged.

"I'm not saying you have to date them forever. But one date with you will be enough to make most of those girls feel special, they will then go back and tell their parents. Besides, you're going to need a date for the Yule Ball so you might as well see who you want to take." Harry had conceded that point, but he really had no idea who to take. He was tempted to ask Susan as she was one of the few girls he could talk to easily and he had a suspicion that Neville was going to ask Hannah. The four of them could then go together. The two boys made their way down to the Great Hall. They slid into seats beside Ron and Hermione. Lavender was sat opposite, clearly flirting with Ron who seemed completely oblivious. They were arguing about prefect duties so Harry quickly turned to continue his conversation with Neville.

"Who am I expected to invite, other than those already in a political alliance with me?" Harry asked.

"Well, it's your party so firstly invite your friends. Then you can ask Sirius who he is thinking about approaching for an alliance. Asking them would be a good idea."

"Well, Heir Longbottom, would you like to come to the New Years Ball the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter will be hosting on December 31st?" Harry put on his most formal tone of voice and bowed mockingly to Neville, who laughed.

"I would be delighted to attend, Lord Potter." Both of them fell about laughing. Harry then turned to his other side and asked the twins if they would come. Both of them looked delighted and as soon as he said they should bring a date they looked over at the Chasers opposite them. Fred asked Alicia to go with him and George asked Angelina.

"Well that saves me the trouble of inviting them." Harry laughed. "Though you do both have invitations of your own."

"Thanks, Harry." Angelina grinned.

"Katie, you're definitely invited too. Sirius will be sending out all formal invitations but he said I should personally ask all the people I want to invite from Hogwarts." They all laughed at the face he pulled. "I'm going to be asking Wood to come as well."

"It'll be good to see him again." Alicia said. "I heard he's doing well at Puddlemere."

"He is a cracking Keeper." Harry noted. They continued to chat about Quidditch until Harry spotted Daphne Greengrass leaving the hall with her sister Astoria and Tracy Davis. He got up and went after them.

"Heir Greengrass, may I please have a word? And Miss Davis." Harry called before they could descend to the dungeons. He knew Tracy had an older brother who was the heir to the House of Davis but as he did not know him personally, figured the formal invite from Sirius would be enough. Daphne turned and so did the other two.

"Of course, Lord Potter." He took them to the side of the hall where they wouldn't be overheard.

"I wanted to invite you to the New Years Ball that will be hosted by the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter on December 31st at Potter Manor." Harry said, bowing slightly but this time not in jest. "Your sister is, of course, invited as well. Miss Davis, I wish to invite you to the Ball as well. You may bring a date. I believe Sirius is sending formal invitations to the head of each of your houses."

"I would be delighted to attend, Lord Potter." Daphne replied coolly. "I also look forward to seeing you at my father's Yule Ball."

"It promises to be a wonderful occasion." Harry smiled slightly. Daphne inclined her head.

"I, too, would be delighted to attend, Lord Potter." Tracy confirmed. Harry was pleased. He knew that Lord Davis had not agreed to an alliance quite yet, but this should help. Harry bowed again.

"Thank you for your time." He said and then strode off up the marble staircase. Once out of sight he shook himself and sighed. He really hated the formality required. Once back in the common room he sat and wrote a letter to Sirius. It was something that he would tell him about through the mirror but he knew he had to keep up appearances and send the letter too. He had just finished when Ron and Neville came in.

"There you are, I wondered where you had gone." Neville said.

"I went to invite Daphne and Astoria Greengrass to the ball along with Tracy Davis. As we are attending her father's Yule Ball and he is in our alliance, I didn't really have much choice."

"Fair enough. No wonder you wanted to do that in private."

"You're inviting Slytherins?" Ron blurted out, looking horrified.

"Yes." Harry replied simply.

"But...but, they are slimy gits."

"Not all of them. Just because Malfoy is, doesn't mean they all are." Neville told Ron.

"All of your family is invited too, Ron." Harry assured him.

"Really? We get to go to a fancy party?" He looked up eagerly.

"Yeah. Aren't you glad Fred and George got you those new dress robes." Harry smirked. Ron nodded vigorously.

"Are you inviting Hermione?"

"I will invite her but only on certain conditions. She will have to accept that House-Elves will be working. Pure-bloods will be in attendance so she will have to keep her views to herself for a change. If she offends the wrong person it could cause problems for Sirius politically. If she doesn't think she can keep her mouth shut then she can't come." Harry said firmly. He would not risk all of Sirius' hard work. Just as they finished talking, Hermione came in through the portrait hole. Spotting the trio grouped together, she made her way over.

"What are you three talking about?" She asked, sitting down beside Ron.

"Harry's New Year party." Neville told her.

"You're throwing a party?" She looked over sceptically.

"Well, Sirius is doing all the organising but I will technically be the host as it is a Potter family tradition. As Lord Potter I get the fun of playing host." He shrugged.

"Who is going?"

"Everyone from our political alliance. Some of my friends. I've invited all the Quidditch team and a few other people." Harry said, carefully. "I'd like to invite you but we need to discuss some things first." Hermione looked surprised.

"What do we need to discuss about a party?"

"You and your behaviour. We will have House-Elves working that night. We have House-Elves that belong to House Potter and that isn't going to change." He sighed at the look of outrage on her face. "We treat them well, Hermione, but you cannot come to the party if you cannot accept House-Elves working. You will not speak to them about how they should want to be free, nor will you push your views on other people. There will be alot of Pure-bloods there who could get offended."

"You care more about offending a few people who probably deserve to be offended for the way House-Elves are treated, than about getting House-Elves justice?" Hermione flushed pink.

"Actually, yes, I do." Harry told her firmly. "I get that you want to free them. At the end of the day they like working. Dobby is the exception. He was terribly mistreated and I'm very behind the idea of better treatment for House-Elves. However I don't believe freeing them all in the answer either. Whatever your views are, there will be people there who disagree, in fact, pretty much everyone there will disagree with you. If you cannot agree to keep those views to yourself then you will not be invited." She looked at him in shock. He waited a few moments but no agreement was forthcoming.

"But this is a big opportunity to spread SPEW." Hermione protested.

"No, it's not." Harry told her. He then stood up. "Nev, shall we go meet the Hufflepuffs?" It had been decided that they would meet on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons for revision. Neville nodded and they left the common room. Saturdays were spent in the library and Wednesdays were spent in the greenhouses. They found Susan and Hannah already sat at their usual table.

"Ernie and Justin are still at lunch. They came down late." Hannah explained as the two boys sat down.

"That's ok." Harry shrugged. "By the way, I wanted to invite you to the New Year's party I am hosting at Potter Manor." Both of them looked over at him. He explained that Sirius was sending proper invitations but he wanted to personally invite his friends.

"I'd love to come." Susan smiled warmly.

"Me too. Are the boys invited as well?" Hannah asked.

"Of course." Harry nodded. "The only one I'm not sure of is Neville here." He grinned.

"Oi!" Neville fake scowled at him.

"You have to invite Neville." Susan smirked at her best friend. "Or he'll end up coming anyway as Hannah's date." Neville and Hannah both went scarlett but neither protested the assumption, making Susan's smirk wider. They were saved further comment by the arrival of Ernie and Justin. Harry extended his invitation to them both and Justin promptly asked Susan to be his date. She agreed quite happily and Harry was now pondering who on earth to ask. The six of them began with discussing their family alliances and informing Justin exactly what was involved in an alliance. They also discussed casting people out of the family. There had been a large article in the Prophet that week that the Bellatrix LeStrange had been cast out of the Black family after her marriage had been annulled. She was now referred to as Bellatrix No-Name. It was the main factor behind the Longbottom alliance with the House of Black as well as Potter. Augusta had agreed to stand with House Potter straight away, but it had taken many meetings before she and Sirius reached agreement for the Black side of things.

After they had finished their discussion on politics, they turned to Defence. Without a place to meet and practise the spells, all they had been able to do so far was read up on theory and practise wand movements without the actual spell. Harry also had been spending time helping them with the content they had missed in the first two years thanks to rubbish teaching.

"You're really good at teaching, Harry." Susan commented as he took her through the proper wand movements for the stunning jinx.

"Thanks." He mumbled. He was desperate to find somewhere they could do the practical side of things. After a while his mind drifted to the argument he had had with Hermione. He really wished she wasn't so forceful with her views. Some of her arguments were not too far off his own agenda but Hermione seemed to think the only way to get things done was to shove her ideas in people's faces. She couldn't have a debate that took into account other people's views that were not identical to her own. An idea struck him.

"Dobby?" He called, unsure whether or not it would work as Dobby did not work for him. There was a pop next to him.

"Mister Harry Potter sir, bes calling Dobby." The little House-Elf was almost bouncing with glee.

"Yeah, hi Dobby. I was wondering if you know anywhere we can practise magic in Hogwarts, without being found out by Umbridge?" Harry asked. Dobby looked thoughtful for a second.

"There bes the Come and Go Room, Harry Potter, Sir. Dobby used it to look after Winky, Sir."

"How do you get to it?" Dobby gave him the directions and almost fainted from delight when Harry told him it sounded perfect. Harry looked at the others who looked bemused. "Shall we go and take a look?" Harry asked them all. Everyone nodded so they made their way to the seventh floor. Once in the right place, Harry strode up and down past the blank stretch of wall three times, thinking ' _we need a place to practise where teachers cannot find us'._ As he walked passed the third time with his eyes closed there was a loud gasp from behind him. Harry opened his eyes and saw a door that had not been there before. Nervously he pushed it open. It was his turn to gasp. Inside was a spacious room with bookshelves lining the walls. On the far side was a section that contained a bunch of beanbags and couches next to a blackboard. In the middle of the room was a large section of floor that looked like a duelling arena. Dummies stood motionless to one side of the open all moved inside.

"Wow." Susan said looking around open-mouthed.

"Wow just about covers it." Ernie agreed.

"I love magic." Justin grinned before running over and jumping on a pile of beanbags. Harry went over and looked on the bookshelf closest to him. It was full of books on defensive magic and duelling.

"We are so studying in here." Hannah laughed. They all spent a little while looking around the room. Harry checked his watch and saw it was close to curfew.

"We'd better head off. Curfew is in fifteen minutes. We can reconvene tomorrow if you guys are all free." He suggested. They all agreed eagerly. Harry and Neville made their way to the Gryffindor common room. It was very full and lively so they went straight up to the dorm.

"That place looks great. We can easily practise in there." Neville beamed once they were alone.

"Yeah. It'll be good to be able to properly practise magic. It also gives us a place do to our practical homework for other subjects like Transfiguration. We have to practise the vanishing spells by Tuesday." Harry said. Neville looked horrified.

"I forgot about those. I'm no good at Transfiguration."

"You'll be fine, Nev. I'll help you tomorrow."

"You know, you really should be our teacher." Neville smirked. "When it comes to Defence, you're the best in our year. You'll end up having to help us all anyway even if it's just a study group." He added slyly.

"Then it becomes lessons rather than a study group. I don't want to be an actual teacher." Harry told him. Although, he found himself admitting privately that he did enjoy teaching. It felt good when he helped Neville with the theory for an essay, or when Justin turned to him for help on a Defensive spell.

"You make a good one though."

"Well, I don't mind just teaching you guys." Harry shrugged. "You already practically count as a teacher for me in Herbology."

"Fair enough. But what about inviting the twins along. They need practice for their NEWTs."

"Sounds ok, but if we open it up to too many people, I'll end up with a whole class." Harry snorted. He still didn't really want to teach that many people.

"You make it sound like a bad thing. I think we should open it up to people. However, all you'd need to do really is organise people. Tell them what to practise and let them get on with it."

"Alright, well I don't mind the idea as long as the people who come want to actually practise Defence. I'm not having people there who only want to talk to the Boy-Who-Lived, or get my personal first hand account of what happened to Cedric." Harry told him sternly. Despite his reservations, he knew that it was a good idea. He also knew that if he really didn't want to, Neville would accept that answer.

"Agreed. Why don't we sound out a few people and meet up in Hogsmeade." Neville suggested.

"Good idea. The Three Broomsticks is always busy. Umbridge can't find anything suspicious about a bunch of students in there." Harry agreed. Then he bade Neville goodnight and drew his curtains, casting the spells so he could talk to Sirius privately. They agreed the list of people to be invited to the New Year party and Sirius loved the idea of starting up a Defence group. He promised to help Harry plan out some lessons but they decided he should really start from first year and make his way up. Having had such poor teaching right from the beginning, some people would be missing the basics. Harry agreed with that assessment. They chatted for a little while longer and then said goodnight. Harry was then left to ponder who on earth to invite to both balls he would be attending.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Hogsmeade

That afternoon, Harry pulled the twins and Lee Jordan aside to ask their opinions about the Defence group. They loved the idea and agreed to meet him in the Three Broomsticks on Halloween. Harry also told them about the Room of Requirement and suggested it as a place for them to develop their products as it could provide most things they need. He promised to show them at some point.

"Are you guys taking Angelina and Alicia to Hogsmeade?" He asked them. Fred nodded with a grin.

"You looking for a date?" George asked him with a wink.

"Not particularly." He said partially truthfully. He wasn't looking for a date to Hogsmeade.

"Well, Katie is still free." Fred told him, smirking. "Then you can bring her along to the Defence meeting." Harry said nothing but moved past them towards Neville. They had some Potions homework to do that was due on Monday. Snape had continued completely ignoring Harry during lessons which was blissful. Harry was also grateful that Sirius had taught him the spell to prevent people other than him putting things in his cauldron. Malfoy tried every lesson to sabotage his potion. As he was ignoring Harry, Snape conveniently didn't see any of this. He never marked Harry higher than Exceeds Expectations in any essay or for any potion.

The next day, Harry made his way to the Room of Requirement with Neville and met the Hufflepuffs there. All of them were excited to finally practise Defence. They also agreed to Neville's suggestion to open it up to other people. To begin with they practised the disarming charm. Harry found it weird that they all followed his orders and suggestions without complaint.

"Neville said that this study group is probably going to turn into me teaching everyone Defence. Over the summer Remus Lupin taught me a lot of the fifth year Defence course so he probably has a point. In that case, I'd rather have a couple of other people teaching with me. We have no idea how many people are going to want to turn up for this and if we have quite a few I won't be able to help that many people at once. Everybody will be at different levels which will require more one to one help that I can't give to twenty people at once." Harry told the others as they finished up for the day.

"Well, as we have two days for study groups, we could always practise the spells with you before a meeting so that the five of us can help you." Susan suggested. "That way you aren't the only teacher or leader. Whatever people want to call it."

"That's a great idea. Teaching you five is one thing, but more than that would be a struggle. Especially as we have the twins coming who are at NEWT level." Harry pointed out.

"We will help Harry. It's not fair to expect only you to teach everyone Defence. Once you set them a spell, most of it will just be walking around and making sure nobody sets anybody else on fire." Justin laughed. They broke up, agreeing to speak to people about meeting in Hogsmeade. They set the time for two in the afternoon to give people time in the Village itself.

Back in the common room, Harry saw Katie sat with Angelina and Alicia in the corner going over Quidditch moves. He walked over to them.

"Hey girls, have Fred and George told you about Defence meetings?" He asked quietly. Not that it mattered, the room was so loud.

"Yeah." Angelina told him.

"Great. We've said 2'o'clock, so people have time to look around first." They nodded. Harry then took a deep breath. "Katie, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?" She blushed.

"I'd like that." She replied.

"Great!" Harry smiled and then dashed off up to his dormitory. Neville looked up in surprise as his hurried entrance.

"What's up with you?" He asked, bemused.

"I just asked Katie Bell to Hogsmeade. Like, on a date." Harry looked up horrified at his own daring. "She said yes. I have to plan a date."

"Nice. Congratulations." Neville laughed. "I'm taking Hannah on our first official date as well."

"Wanna double?" Harry asked. Neville shook his head, still laughing. Harry huffed and fell onto his bed, considering asking Sirius for advice. Then he thought about the teasing he would have to withstand before getting advice and realised he wasn't that desperate yet. Instead he lay on his back, thinking about where in Hogsmeade would be best to take Katie. He didn't know her very well, just bits and pieces from hearing her talk to the other girls in the changing rooms. Honeydukes was always a good idea, he'd just go from there.

The Hogsmeade weekend dawned bright and breezy. Harry woke up early and got himself showered. Then he stood around wondering what to wear. It was no use asking Ron who had as little experience with dating as he did. He simply settled for plain black trousers and a red jumper with his cloak. It was cold so he took his scarf and gloves with him as he went down for breakfast. He was one of the first down so it gave him time to compose himself properly. He had just finished eating when Hermione came over to him. Over the past month they had come to an unsaid agreement to be polite to each other. She had not pushed him about the journals or SPEW and Harry was inviting her to join the Defence group after extracting a promise she would not fight him, or his chosen helpers, for authority.

"Hey Harry." She smiled.

"Hi Hermione? Looking forward to getting into Hogsmeade?"

"Yes, about that. I was thinking, I know the Prophet have stopped writing horrible things about you but they still won't admit the truth." At this she lowered her voice and glanced around in case Umbridge was nearby.

"True." He acknowledged, wondering where she was going with this.

"Well, since we caught Rita Skeeter last year, I was thinking we could use that to make her write a proper account of what happened. I wrote to her and she has agreed to listen to your side of the story and then we can publish the article. She can meet us in Hogsmeade today, if you want to." She added the last bit hurriedly and Harry appreciated that she was making an effort not to boss him around.

"What time were you thinking?"

"12?"

"I will check with Katie but I can't imagine it being a problem." Harry shrugged. "Luna's dad owns the Quibbler, I can ask her if he will publish it. No matter how much sway Sirius has over the Prophet I think they will go with Fudge on this."

"Great. I'll see you at 12 then in the Three Broomsticks. We should be done in time to have that Defence meeting." Hermione beamed. Then she stood back up and walked off. As she left, the Chasers all came into the Great Hall accompanied by Fred and George. They all sat down around Harry.

"Morning. You look nice." Harry complimented Katie as she took the seat beside him recently vacated by Hermione.

"Thanks. So do you." She replied, her cheeks going a little pink.

"Yes, indeed, good morning young Lord Potter." Fred said in a pompous voice.

"Such a pleasure to see you." George tagged on.

"Wish I could say the same about you two." Harry grinned. All the girls started laughing.

"These young kids are getting a bit rude Gred."

"Agreed, Forge. We shall have to teach Mr Potter some manners." They grinned evilly at him but Harry merely raised an eyebrow at them.

"Shall we get going?" He asked Katie. She nodded and they both stood up and set off. "I wanted to talk to you about something." Harry said once they were alone and on the way down the path towards the school gates.

"Oh yeah?"

"Hermione has told me that she got Rita Skeeter to do an interview with me about what really happened in the summer so I can get the real story out there. Tell the world Voldemort really is back, but the only time I'd be able to do it is a Hogsmeade weekend. She was able to do it today, but I wanted to check it was ok with you, if not I can do it on the next one." Katie stumbled a bit when he said the name but other than that kept her face impassive.

"Honestly, ask me on a date and can't wait to meet up with another girl." She said coolly. Harry turned to look at her and saw she was grinning. Relieved that she was only teasing he grinned back.

"What can I say, I'm just that great." He laughed.

"Of course I don't mind. Do you want me to come with you to the interview?" She asked, her face growing serious. Harry debated this, it was going to be hard enough retelling the story with Hermione there and she knew what had happened.

"Yeah, that would be good." Harry said finally. He didn't really want to tell her to leave him alone for a couple of hours, this was supposed to be a date. "Although, I'm not sure telling you a horror story counts as a particularly good date." He tried for a smile.

"I've had worse." Katie laughed. They spent the rest of the walk talking about past dates and various other things. Harry was pleased to find that Katie was incredibly easy to talk to. They seamlessly moved topics onto Quidditch and then the subjects Katie was studying at NEWT level.

"...and then he had to be sent to the hospital wing because he passed out." She finished her story with a laugh.

"Sounds like next year is going to be a right laugh." Harry groaned.

"Once you master non verbal spells it isn't too bad. But they expect you to be able to do them right at the start of the year." She advised.

"Maybe we should have some Defence lessons on non verbal spells." Harry suggested.

"That would be a good idea. We aren't getting any practise in Defence and all the teachers expect us to be able to do it. I'm sure the Quidditch team can help out on those lessons. All of us can do non verbal spells, we just need to keep up the practise." Katie assured him.

"That would be good." Harry agreed. "Where would you like to go first?" He asked as they finally walked into Hogsmeade.

"Honeydukes?" She suggested and he let out a sigh of relief.

"Great idea." He grinned. They spent the next half an hour looking at sweets and daring each other to buy and taste the most disgusting ones they could think of. Harry ended up having to try one of the blood lollipops, cockroach clusters and jelly slugs. The last one had only been added when he accidentally mentioned how much he hated them while talking about the time Ron and Hermione had bought him a load of sweets back. In return Katie was dared to try the acid pops, some Bertie Botts beans and an exploding bonbon. They emerged from the shop laughing their heads off and trying to rid themselves of the disgusting tastes in their mouths. They had also purchased some sweets they did actually like and Katie confessed that sugar mice were her favourites.

Once they were done, they headed over to Scrivenshaft's as Katie needed a new quill since the twins had 'borrowed' hers and she hadn't seen it since. Then they headed over to Spintwiches to have a look through all the Quidditch gear. Neither of them needed anything but they found it fun to look at. Katie looked enviously at the Firebolt that was on display while Harry looked at the Keeper gloves and bought a pair to give Ron for Christmas. Although he had gotten a broom in the summer he had no other equipment of his own and the school stuff was rather worn. A quick trip to 's Potions saw Harry restocking all his Potions ingredients. He had used up more than expected while doing his own brewing in his trunk. By the time they were done it was approaching 12.

"Shall we head to the Three Broomsticks? That way we can get some food before we meet Rita." Harry suggested. Katie agreed easily and they made their way through the crowded street into the even more crowded pub. Katie found them a table while Harry went to order their lunch and some drinks. They chatted some more over the food and Harry was having a really good time until he spotted Hermione entering the pub with Rita and Luna right behind her. He sighed and Katie looked up, immediately spotting what he had.

"At least this way people will know the truth." She reminded him.

"Yeah." He agreed dully. He waved Hermione over. The trio sat down at their table and Hermione went to get some drinks while Harry told Rita exactly what was expected. Rita looked horrified when Luna said she wouldn't be getting paid to write this story but a quick reminder of their blackmail had her being quiet. Harry took a deep breath and began his story. As he got to the part where Cedric died he choked up and Katie slid her hand into his for support. Rita looked a little eager about this but Hermione's sharp glare got her back on topic. Finally he was finished and he sat back, feeling drained. Hermione shot him a sympathetic glance and then turned back to Rita.

"Thank you Rita. We look forward to seeing the finished article." Rita recognised the dismissal and got up.

"I shall send it directly to Mr Lovegood." Rita said. Luna nodded. Rita then left.

"Thanks for offering to publish this, Luna." Harry said. He had meant to ask her but Hermione had met her on the way to Hogsmeade and got everything sorted.

"No problem, Harry. I like helping. It's what friends should do."

"Well we are friends and I'm very grateful." Luna beamed at him.

"It's up to three already and we aren't even halfway through the day." Katie said quietly, trying for a joke. Harry turned, realising what she meant and grinned at her. It was then he noticed how pale she was. She still had a death grip on his hand that he hadn't noticed until that moment either. He pulled her into a sideways hug as best he could on the awkward chairs. She buried her face in his shoulder.

"I can't believe you went through all that, only for nobody to believe you. Nobody would make something like that up." She mumbled.

"Well, not a lot of people listened long enough to get the full story. Fudge refused to listen as soon as he heard the name Voldemort," Harry sighed. Just then, the twins came into the pub with their dates. Closely behind them were Neville and Hannah. Harry ushered them all into a corner and went to get some more drinks. Over the next fifteen minutes a load more people joined the group. Ron came over on his own looking disgruntled. Apparently Hermione hadn't told him about the plans with Rita for that morning so he'd been on his own. Ginny came in with a group of Ravenclaw's, only some of which Harry recognised. Cho came in with her brown haired friend and beamed at him before spotting his hand still in Katie's. Her face fell immediately. Thankfully Harry could pretend not to notice as all his Hufflepuff friends came over at that moment and engulfed him. Harry told them all what had happened with Rita in an undertone. Neville looked impressed and the others grinned at him.

"That's great Harry." Susan smiled. "It might not be the most popular magazine but at the least the proper story it out there."

Finally it was half past 2 and Harry called the attention of everyone in their group. The pub was so noisy that even if she shouted nobody but those gathered around could hear him.

"Right, we all agree that Defence Against the Dark Arts this year is pointless. We won't be learning anything and it is a very important year for most of us with exams." He started. "So, I propose we start our own study group to practise magic where the toad won't let us." Everybody chuckled.

"I agree. Passing our exams is very important." Ernie said, puffing out his chest.

"So is learning to defend ourselves from what is going on outside school." Hermione pointed out.

"What proof is there anything is going on?" Someone asked.

"Dumbledore says so." Ron said loudly.

"Dumbledore says because he says." The boy argued, pointing at Harry.

"Shut up Zacharius." Susan glared at the boy.

"If you don't believe Harry then you don't need to be here. If he isn't telling the truth then you have nothing to worry about and don't need to learn to defend yourself." Katie said hotly. Her face was still pale and his story obviously fresh in her mind.

"Well said." Hannah smiled.

"I'm just saying, Potter could give us some details." Zacharius continued.

"No. I can't." Harry said firmly. He had seen Cho looked up eagerly at this idea. "If you are here simply to here how Cedric died then you can bugger off. It is not up for discussion, and if you get a copy of the next issue of the Quibbler there should be more than enough details in there for you. Now, we need to agree on a time to meet."

"As long as it doesn't clash with Quidditch." Angelina said quickly.

"Of course not." Harry assured her. She sat back looking relieved. The place I have in mind is on the seventh floor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to tapdance. First meeting will be next Thursday at 8 if that doesn't clash with anyone's Quidditch." Harry looked around. All the Quidditch players looked happy with that arrangement.

"Everyone who is coming will need to sign their name on this parchment. It will prevent anyone from telling Umbridge about what is going on." Susan spoke up. She and the others had agreed on this at their last study session. The were some protest but she spoke over them.

"If you don't want to sign then don't but you won't be welcome at the meetings. We can't risk her finding out what we are up to. The only people who can invite new members after today are Harry, myself and Neville. You can feel free to put forward suggestions if you think any of your friends would like to come."

"I promise she won't leave a list of names lying around where anyone can find it." Harry assured the group with a grin. Fred and George stood up and signed with no hesitation. THe Gryffindor Chasers followed suit straight after and one by one so did everyone else. "Thanks everyone, see you on thursday." With that he turned back to Katie and the group began to disperse slowly. Soon the only other people left were Neville, Hannah, Susan and Justin. The six chatted quite happily for another hour before heading back to school. Neville escorted Hannah back to her common room while Harry and Katie made straight for Gryffindor tower. At the portrait hole Harry stopped.

"I hope you had a good time." He faced her with a smile.

"I had a wonderful time." She assured him. "You are incredibly brave Harry Potter." Harry felt his cheeks heat up slightly and grinned sheepishly.

"I have rather a lot of sheer dumb luck." He laughed.

"Obviously." Katie agreed.

"Thank you for being my date today." Harry kissed the back of her hand as Sirius had mentioned during his lordship training. He then said the password and gestured for a now blushing Katie to enter first. They bade each other goodnight and went off in their own direction. Harry went straight to the dormitory and went down into his trunk to get some homework done. The common room was simply too noisy. He had no desire to go down to the feast. He had had a wonderful day but now just wanted some time alone. Unable to concentrate on homework, Harry grabbed his father's animagus journal and began reading it. There were a few ways to find out your form. His father and Sirius had opted for the potion as it was the quickest but his father had noted that meditation was better. From their research afterwards it turned out that finding your form during meditation helped you gain a closer relationship to that animal and therefore made the actual transformation much easier. Harry got over halfway through the book before deciding that he wanted to try to meditation technique. He already did that every night for his Occlumency so he could try for a bit to find his form before going to sleep. A plan in mind, he left the trunk and clambered straight into bed. After a quick conversation with Sirius and Remus, he fell straight asleep.

(A/N Soooo, thoughts for Harry's animagus form? Might have Neville do it too so any ideas for him too.)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Defence Association

Sirius stood in front of the bathroom mirror trying to sort out his robes. Halloween was the day of the October quarterly Wizengamot meeting. It would be his first foray into the public political scene. He had met with Augusta Longbottom and Amelia Bones in preparation for the Wizengamot but he was still nervous. They had all agreed that any changes would be slow going until Fudge got his head out of his arse but the could slowly build up their alliance so that they could act quickly when the time came. Daniel Greengrass had agreed to meet with some of the minor neutral houses to gauge their interest and had so far had quite a lot of success.

"You look fine you know." The voice of his cousin, Tonks, floated into the room. He turned and saw her standing in the doorway. Sirius glanced down at his immaculate robes and frowned.

"Purple really does not look good." He complained. Why the Wizengamot had chosen purple for their official robes, Sirius would never know.

"Of course it does, just not on you." Tonks smirked.

"You're ever so helpful." Sirius sighed sarcastically. She simply smirked wider. He moved passed her and down the stairs to get some breakfast. Remus was already in the kitchen and he burst out laughing as he took in Sirius' appearance. Sirius slumped down beside him and socked him in the arm.

"What was that for?" Remus grinned.

"You know exactly what." Sirius growled. "Never mind breakfast, I'm going to be late." He had just noticed the time. Quickly, he made his way to the fireplace and flooed to Amelia's office. She glanced up as he arrived.

"Oh good. I was wondering if you were going to be on time." She smiled at him.

"Of course. I never miss a good show." Sirius grinned back. Together, they made their way down to the Wizengamot meeting room. It was a large circular room with tiers of seats and benches in a semi-circle around the central podium. Most people were already in their seats. The seat for the Ancient and Most Noble houses were by far the most comfortable. Each house had its own individual seat with a second, smaller, seat for the heir to sit on if he or she were there for their training. These were organised in alphabetical order in the three uppermost rows, although the four founder seats sat together at the end. The two rows below them had simple wooden benches for the Order of Merlin holders and Ministry representatives. The podium in the middle was flanked by two chairs. One for the Chief Warlock and one for the scribe. As Sirius took his seat, which was conveniently very near Amelia's, he spotted Fudge and Percy Weasley taking the seats in the middle of the room. Today was going to be for voting in a new Chief Warlock as Dumbledore had been stripped of his position at the last meeting.

"Close the doors." Fudge called loudly once everybody was seating. The doors magically locked themselves. "Welcome to the October Wizengamot meeting ladies and gentlemen. First order of business is to elect a new Chief Warlock. I open the floor to nominations."

"I nominate Daniel Greengrass." Amelia stood up. There were a few curious looks at her vote for a neutral rather than a light sided person.

"Seconded." Anthony Davis stood up.

"I accept the nomination." Daniel rose and nodded to both Amelia and Anthony.

"Very well, any other nominations?" Fudge looked around.

"I nominate Dennis Nott." Theo Bulstrode stood up.

"Seconded." Said Felix Rosier.

"I accept the nomination." Nott confirmed.

"Very well." Fudge said, wringing his hands. No other nominations were forthcoming. "We shall commence with the vote. Please light your wands if you wish to vote for Lord Greengrass." Sirius lit his own wand as he looked around the room. Everyone he had spoken to was voting for Daniel as previously agreed. They figured it was best to have someone neutral in the position after having Dumbledore for so long. It was also their best chance to have someone they wanted in power. He saw lots of wands lighting, by his calculation well over half. Fudge nodded. "Now please light your wands to vote for Lord Nott." A few wands lit up but Daniel was a clear winner. Sirius was pleased. Their first point of order had been achieved rather easily.

"Lord Greengrass has been nominated as the new Chief Warlock, please take your seat Lord Greengrass." Fudge announced as he stepped to the side of the podium. Daniel made his way down.

"Thank you all for my nomination for such a prestigious position. Now, to business. House Black has some announcements." He gestured up to Sirius.

"The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black has a new Lord. I, Sirius Orion Black, Head of House Black hereby name Harry James Potter my official heir." Sirius stood up and grinned smugly as the look of outrage of Fudge's face.

"Noted." Daniel said, keeping his face impassive, although he was sneaking sideways looks at Fudge.

"I also announce that Bellatrix LeStrange nee Black has had her marriage annulled on grounds of a broken marriage contract. She has now been cast from the family as is henceforth to be known as Bellatrix No-Name." This was old news thanks to the Prophet, but had to be announced formally. Besides, it gave Sirius great pleasure to be able to say 'Bellatrix No-Name' out loud. There was some murmuring of those who were not pleased by the development but as it was old news they didn't dwell. "That is all for House Black." He announced. Let the fun, now begin. He sat down and listened as Bulstrode announced the marriage of his oldest daughter to the House of Parkinson. Flint then announced a new heir and it was his turn again.

"Any announcements for the Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor?" Daniel called to the room, feeling very glad Sirius had warned him about this beforehand. He may well have fainted if he had read that without prior information. As it was the room began buzzing. It was thought that all the Hogwarts founders had no ancestors left. Except those who knew Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin but there was no way he would be claiming the Slytherin seat.

"Yes." Sirius rose again, this time the noise was phenomenal.

"Quiet!" Daniel yelled, sending out several loud 'bangs' from his wand. Silence soon fell. Sirius took great delight in the slack-jawed expression on Fudge's face.

"The Ancient and Most Noble House of Gryffindor would like to announce a new Head of House. Lord Harry James Potter." This time even 'bangs' from Daniel's wand could not be heard over the din. Sirius sat back down and watched with amusement written clearly on his face and glittering in his eyes. It was a good ten minutes before the noise levels came down enough for Fudge to be heard.

"Now what is the meaning of this." He blustered.

"Lord Potter took an inheritance check at Gringotts and found he was the heir of Gryffindor. After doing the appropriate ritual he has claimed headship of his house. I thought that rather simple Minister." He finished drly. Fudge went red.

"This is nonsense. More of the boy's lies."

"Don't be stupid Minister." Daniel Greengrass snapped. "If it was a lie then magic would not have accepted him. Nor would the seat of Gryffindor be free." He gestured at the four seats belonging to the founders. The three with no acknowledged Lord were covered by a thin shield to prevent anyone sitting in those seats. Other seats could be won or transferred as a House went extinct but the four founders could never change hands. The Gryffindor seat was no longer protected by the bubble.

"I have been named Proxy in Lord Potter's name as he is too young to vote." Sirius continued as if Fudge had never interrupted.

"So noted." Daniel said calmly and he jotted it down in the book on the podium. People finally began recovering from the shock and he moved on with other announcements. Augusta finally made it official that Neville was the heir of House Longbottom. She had not trusted him with the responsibilities beforehand. There was very little business before it was Sirius' turn again.

"Any business for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter." Daniel looked up at Sirius in amusement.

"The Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter formally acknowledges it's new Lord, Harry James Potter." Sirius called. "At the age of fifteen he is old enough to become Lord as he is the last remaining member of his house. You must all know that." He glared at some people who had been about to make an outburst. "However, he is not old enough to vote so he has nominated me as his proxy. I am also officially his heir." Sirius grinned brightly as people took in what this meant. Sirius was now the single most powerful man on the Wizengamot. He held the vote or proxy of three Ancient and Most Noble Houses. Lord of one and heir to two others. They also began to realise that Harry was the Lord of two Ancient and Most Noble Houses, including a Hogwarts founder, and heir to another. Those who believed the Prophet were concerned that a fifteen year old insane boy was so powerful. People on the dark side knew the boy wasn't crazy but were very concerned at how much power he wielded. Some were making notes to take back to their master. Everyone in Sirius' alliance were simply amused as they watched everyone come to their understanding. Fudge was as pale as a ghost. As was Percy Weasley.

"That concludes the business for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter." Sirius smirked.

"Noted." Daniel replied, hiding his own smirk. He was now sure that agreeing to this alliance would be very beneficial to him. He was considering whether he should approach Sirius about a marriage contract between one of his daughters and Lord Potter. However, given how the man spoke about his godson, he felt it was very unlikely that he could agree. He also suspected that Sirius would get inundated with many offers of marriage both for himself and his godson given the days revelations. After that there was very little business. The alliance had agreed that would be enough revelations for one day. They would wait until the January meeting to propose any changes to the law. They also hoped it would give them more time to prove Voldemort was alive which would make their jobs a lot easier.

None of them had been happy when Sirius reported that he and Bill had found out why Voldemort hadn't died the night Harry stopped him. They had found a book on Horcruxes and assumed this was what Voldemort had used. After he had filled them in on Harry's story about the diary, Daniel, Augusta and Amelia had been inclined to agree. Of course the fact that Harry had destroyed one did not make them feel much better. It just drove in the point that they had no idea how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made. Sirius also suspected that Dumbledore already knew about the Horcruxes. Amelia had been horrified by this thought, feeling he should have told the Ministry as soon as he suspected. Sirius had argued that everybody believed Voldemort gone. He said that if Dumbledore was not completely sure then he wouldn't risk disturbing the peace at that time. The time to do so should have been after Harry showed him the diary. Amelia agreed but this still left two years in which Dumbledore had not shared this information. So far, the three of them, Sirius and Bill made up the leaders of the alliance. Bill was hunting down any information he could find on Horcruxes as he was the curse breaker and the only one of them who had known what a Horcrux was without explanation. Sirius was trying to find anything he could about Voldemort's background to see if he could find something that he suspected could be a Horcrux, or at least where one might be hidden. Amelia, Daniel and Augusta were in charge of the political side of things.

The first Thursday in November saw the first meeting of the Defence Against the Dark Arts study group. Harry got to the Room of Requirement early with Neville so that they could get set up. It had been decided that they would start with the very basics and work from there. To one side of the duelling area were a bunch of balloons. He waited by the beanbags and slowly people began to trickle in. It was quarter past 8 by the time everyone arrived and chatter filled the room.

"Right, thanks for coming everyone. We are going to start with the very basics. The only good teacher we had was Professor Lupin so the only area we don't really need to cover is dark creatures. The Death Eater teaching us last year did do a thorough job of covering unforgivables but I will certainly not be recovering those." Hermione's hand shot into the air and Harry gave a huff of amusement. "Yes, Hermione?"

"I think we should have a name, so that we can refer to this outside of this room without Umbridge finding out."

"And do you have a suggestion?" Neville asked her.

"I'm not sure." The bushy haired girl bit her lip.

"How about the Ministry are Morons group?" Fred called out.

"A little...obvious there Fred."

"She won't know it's a defence group." He argued with a grin.

"Still not something we want her hearing. She'll probably go back to Fudge with proof we are building an anti Ministry army." Harry smirked.

"Fine, Death to Delores group?" George laughed.

"Defence Association? We can call it the DA for short." Justin suggested. A few people nodded at that.

"What about Dumbledore's Army?" Ron grinned. "That's what the Ministry most fears isn't it?" Harry frowned. His annoyance with Dumbledore still constantly nagging in the back of his mind.

"Defence Association, I think." He said, looking over at Neville. He nodded as did Susan so it was finalised. "Right, now that is sorted, everyone pair up and practise disarming."

"Expelliarmus? We aren't first years." Zacharius snorted.

"Fine, feel free to sit out and watch." Neville rolled his eyes. Everybody got up and split into pairs. Harry was left with Neville but neither of them minded. For twenty minutes they all kept casting until Harry called on Susan and Justin to help him and Neville to patrol. The four split up and made their way through the pairs, correcting and offering advice as they went. Harry was surprised just how poor the general quality was of such a simple spell. Most of the problem was accuracy or simply not enough power behind the spell. The Creevey brothers kept making books jump of the shelves. Fred and George were taking turns at casting the spell at other pairs instead of each other. After another half an hour Harry called for everyone to stop.

"That wasn't too bad for a first try. I think we need to work on accuracy before moving on to learning new spells. For this, I have a game." He gestured to the balloons in the corner. "I'm going to send them around the room and you are all going to try and hit as many as you can with a paint spell. You will each pick a different colour so we can see how many hits you all get. The winner will get some chocolate from me next Hogsmeade trip." There were some cheers at this. Harry grinned and gave them all a second to write down their chosen colour on a piece of parchment so nobody could cheat and change colours. Suddenly the balloons were flying everywhere. Spells began flying in every direction and Harry quickly cast an impervious charm on himself in case someone hit him either accidentally, or in the case of the Weasley twins, on purpose. He was rather glad he had thought of that when a batch of purple paint that George was using stopped just short of his robes, bouncing off the spell. Neville wasn't so lucky and got covered in sparkly pink paint that Fred had chosen.

"Enough!" Harry called ten minutes later. Spells soon stopped flying around and he made his way to the balloons, counting up all the paint splodges. In turned out that Angelina had actually won. Harry clapped her on the back with a smile. "Congratulations, Angelina, I owe you some chocolate. Now, that's it for today as we all need to get back before curfew and I have tons of homework." Most people laughed. "Shall we say next meeting will be on Tuesday, same time?"

"We have Quidditch." Angelina reminded him.

"Can we have Quidditch straight after dinner? That allows for both." She thought about this and then nodded. Harry grinned and dismissed everyone.

"That was great, Harry." Neville congratulated him once they were the only ones left in the room.

"Yeah, I just hope it stays this easy. Coast is clear." Harry said after checking the map. Once back in the tower he carried on with his horribly long Herbology essay that was due the next day and he was only half way through.

The Great Hall was full of the noise over breakfast one November morning when Harry was disturbed by a flurry of owls. He took the package from the closest owl and saw that it was a copy of the latest edition of the Quibbler. Grinning to himself, he flicked through to find his article and passed it down to Katie for her to read through while he busied himself looking through his other mail. Fred and George began helping him.

"Hey look, this person read your version of events and thought them much better than the MInistry's version. She believes you." Fred grinned.

"This bloke thinks you're a nutter. Shame he's right." George grinned. Angelina slapped him over the head and joined in the reading. Harry was pleased to find that the vast majority of letters were supportive and said they believed him. A few were rather nasty but only a small number. As they were opening them Umbridge wandered over.

"What is the meaning of this, Potter?"

"I'm opening my mail, Professor." He replied innocently. She glared at him.

"You are disturbing breakfast. All this mail couldn't possibly be for you."

"It's fan mail, Professor." He smirked.

"Ridiculous, ten points from Gryffindor for your nonsense." She snapped.

"It's not nonsense. I gave an interview in the Quibbler and this is my fan mail." He grinned annoying at her.

"An interview?" She snatched up the copy of the Quibbler that Katie had discarded and scanned it quickly. "Spreading your lies again, nasty boy. Detention, Potter, my office 5'o'clock tonight." She took the Quibbler and marched from the Hall. People were looking over to see if they could work out what he had done to upset Umbridge so much but Harry simply smirked at them all.

By lunchtime there was another educational decree banning the Quibbler from Hogwarts. Harry was rather pleased by this as he knew this would only fuel the curiosity running around the school. Indeed, by the time he had to go to his detention the story seemed to have spread like wildfire. He heard many students running off to place their order for a copy and those that already had one had shown it to all their friends. Once the decree came out they began disguising it to look like a textbook or another magazine unless they were the ones reading it. As he walked to Umbridge's office for detention, Harry was rather happy. A bunch of Slytherins had been glaring at him all day, which wasn't particularly surprising as he named their parents as Death Eaters.

He knocked on the door of an office he had been in many times before. Under each occupant it had been distinctly different. As he walked in, he thought he had the wrong room. Every inch of wall was covered in portraits of cats. The few inches of wall that could be seen were a lurid pink, matched by the doily on the desk. In fact he almost missed Umbridge because she blended in with her surroundings.

"Good evening Mr Potter. You will be writing lines for me this evening." She told him. The smile on her face made his stomach flutter with unease. He sat himself down in the chair indicated and began to draw out a quill. "You won't be needing that." Her smile widened as she handed him one of her own. He was just grateful it wasn't pink.

"What will I be writing Professor?" He asked quietly.

"I must not tell lies."

"You didn't give me any ink."

"You won't be needing any." The malicious smile stretched even further, making her look even more like a demented toad. He frowned and put the quill to the page and began to write. As he moved the quill red ink spilled from it's tip forming the words 'I must not tell lies'. The back of his hand began itching and suddenly he was holding in a gasp of pain as the same words etched themselves into his skin. A blood quill. Sirius had told him about these and he was well aware they were illegal except for incredibly rare contracts with Gringotts. Even then the use on a minor required a parent or guardian's permission. He looked up and saw her watching him, that sick smile still there with a look of anticipation. She would not win. He gritted his teeth and continued writing. In the silence the scratching of the quill sounded particularly loud as did the slow drip of blood hitting the parchment as his hand began healing much slower. He longer to curse her for enjoying this but knew he could not give her the satisfaction. Time soon lost all meaning and all he was aware of was the ache in his hand until finally she spoke.

"I think that will do for now Mr Potter. Same time tomorrow."

"You only gave me one detention, Professor." He said, horrified he would have to do that again.

"Yes, but I don't think the message has quite _sunk in_." She smiled and then dismissed him. Harry sped from the room and straight up to Gryffindor tower. He needed to talk to Sirius. He didn't even notice Neville trying to catch his attention as he clambered through the portrait hole and made his way up to the dormitory. Casting the spells around his bed, he quickly drew out his mirror and called Sirius' name.

"Hey pup. Nice interview by the way. I'm very proud of you." Sirius beamed as he held up a copy of the Quibbler he had clearly been reading.

"Thanks. Umbridge gave me detention for it." Harry admitted.

"For what?" Sirius growled.

"Disturbing breakfast apparently. She didn't like the bunch of mail I got from readers. Most of the believe my version of events but some still think I'm an attention seeking lunatic."

"Lunatic I'll give them, but certainly not attention seeking." Sirius grinned. Harry stuck his tongue out. "What did she have you doing in detention?"

"Lines." Harry sighed.

"That's not bad."

"With a blood quill." His admission was met with deafening silence. Sirius' eyes had narrowed to slits as the blood vanished from his face. Harry had never seen him this angry, even when Pettigrew was mentioned.

"She did what?" The words came out as a whisper. Harry didn't dare repeat himself, figuring Sirius needed time to process. "That...there is't a curse strong enough for her right now. You are not to go anywhere near her until I get this sorted. Do you have her for class tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"You're not going. I am coming straight to that bloody school and I will be having words with both Dumbledore and McGonagall. They will be able to keep you safe until I can call an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot. When I'm there I'll need to collect your memory of what happened in detention." Harry nodded. "I'm on my way, meet me in Dumbledore's office as soon as you can." He then closed off the connection and Harry headed out of the room. 

By the time he arrived at the gargoyle that guarded the way to Dumbledore's office he could hear raised voices. He muttered the password and ran up the spiral staircase three at a time, bursting into the room. Sirius was standing with his hands on Dumbledore's desk, his back to Harry and he seemed to be doing most of the shouting. McGonagall was sat in the chair next to Sirius. She was pale but her lips were pursed, giving away her fury.

"I'm truly sorry, Sirius, I had no idea…" Dumbledore was saying as Harry came in. They all jumped at Harry's hurried entrance.

"Mr Potter." McGonagall was straight onto her feet and dashing over to him. She grabbed his hand and immediately began examining it. Sirius was not far behind. He began waving his wand in complicated patterns.

"I can sense that dark magic was used but the essence is faint." Sirius confirmed. Through a gap between the two fussing adults, Harry caught a glimpse of Dumbledore. The headmaster looked much older and graver than Harry had seen him except when he had been told about Voldemort's rebirth. The twinkle was noticeably absent from his eyes and his long fingers were locked together tightly.

"Harry, please sit down and tell us exactly what happened." Dumbledore said quietly, still avoiding his eyes. Sirius conjured another couple of chairs and collapsed into the nearest one, dragging Harry to the one next to it. McGonagall took the chair she had previously vacated. He told them all everything from the moment in the Great Hall to when he left the office.

"Why did you not tell me the very second you recognised that it was a blood quill?" Sirius turned to his godson, renewed fury in his eyes.

"I...I didn't want her to think she got to me." Harry admitted quietly. In the silence that followed he knew it had been a very stupid thing both to think and to say to an already enraged Sirius.

"Got to you? She tortured you! TORTURED YOU, HARRY!" Sirius' voice rose in volume yet again. Harry thought quickly.

"Also, if I left before she made me use it then she couldn't be charged with using it on a minor." He stuttered out. Sirius seemed to consider this.

"She could be charged for possessing an illegal and dark artifact. Only Gringotts are allowed to own them. That would be enough. You did not need to go through that." His godfather said in a stern voice. Harry knew they would be having a talk about this in private. Sirius turned back to Dumbledore.

"I will be calling an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot tomorrow morning to get her removed. However we need someone else in place otherwise the MInistry will just assign someone almost as bad. However, if you can't find anyone, I can use this to put pressure on Fudge to assign someone in our favour. He will certainly not wish to anger me any further. Not when the person in question is Lord Gryffindor." Sirius grin was savage. Dumbledore started at the news.

"Harry, you are Lord Gryffindor?" He was so surprised he looked at the boy directly for the first time since the end of the last school year. Harry's face was blank.

"Yes." He admitted. McGonagall gasped.

"I wonder if Remus would come back." Sirius pondered. He wanted someone in the castle to be his eyes and ears. Yet again Harry had been in trouble from a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and Sirius would feel much better having someone he trusted in the position.

"Severus would be delighted." McGonagall snickered.

"Indeed. Moony would take some persuading though." Sirius sighed.

"If you would be kind enough to ask him?" Dumbledore asked. "Or I fear you will need to pressure Fudge. I had no luck over the entire summer, I certainly won't have one by tomorrow."

"Well, hopefully she will be removed by tomorrow afternoon. Classes can be cancelled on Friday, won't exactly make much difference. I'm confident someone will be available by Monday." Sirius said. Dumbledore nodded.

"Right, Harry has Defense tomorrow but he will not be attending for obvious reasons. I trust both of you to keep him out of Umbridge's reach."

"Come to my office during your lesson, Mr Potter. You can have a study period in there." McGonagall offered immediately. Sirius and Harry both nodded gratefully. "You have my word that until the toad is out of here, Harry won't be within a good distance of her." McGonagall smiled tightly. Sirius then got Harry to produce a copy of the memory into a glass tube. Pocketing it with a grimace, he spoke.

"Right then, now that is sorted, I have to be going. I need to make some fire calls about this." Sirius stood and pulled Harry into a hug. With a quick goodbye, he strode to the fireplace and disappeared back to Grimmauld Place. McGonagall escorted Harry back to the tower, where he found Neville waiting for him. Harry gestured up to the dormitory and once they were alone, explained what had gone on that evening. Neville's jaw was almost on the floor by the time he had finished.

"Sirius had better inform Gran. On second thought, she might then tear Umbridge apart with her bare hands." Neville grinned slightly.

"Well that would be interesting." Harry laughed. Both of them stayed up chatting for a while longer before trying to get some sleep. They figured the next day would be rather exciting.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Changes

Sirius spent the evening firecalling Augusta, Amelia and Daniel, all of whom were horrified to hear what he had to say. All of them wanted Umbridge's head on a stick. It took quite a while before they all agreed to his plan. Once that was in place, Sirius sent out the required owls to call an emergency meeting. He was just finishing up when Remus knocked on his study. He came in looking tired.

"You're up late." He said. Sirius glanced at the clock and saw it was past midnight.

"Business. Umbridge used a blood quill on Harry in detention." Remus froze at the words before is features twisted in outrage.

"She did what?"

"Yeah, that was my reaction too."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm calling a meeting of the Wizengamot. Harry gave me his memory of the detention so I can prove what she did. Amelia is going to have Aurors on standby. They will hopefully have her arrested by lunchtime tomorrow. Harry is going to be spending his Defence lesson with Minerva tomorrow so that he doesn't have to be near Umbridge."

"It's a sound plan. It will also make Fudge look incredibly bad as he was the one who put her there and gave her all the powers." Remus grinned. Sirius nodded tiredly. It was going to be one hell of a day.

"I need to ask you something." Sirius called as Remus made to leave.

"Oh?" His friend arched an eyebrow.

"Dumbledore wanted me to ask if you will come back as Defence Professor once they have arrested Umbridge. He had no luck finding someone over the summer and if he doesn't have a replacement then Fudge will just appoint somebody else." Remus looked pained.

"I can't Sirius. Those kids will not want a werewolf teaching them and I highly doubt Dumbledore can convince Snape to make my wolfsbane again."

"Those kids adore you. Harry told me pretty much everyone in his year thought you were the best teacher they've had."

"That's not saying much." Remus snorted.

"True." Sirius grinned. "But barely any of them cared you are a werewolf. Those that do are Slytherins that aren't worth your time. Many of those parents went to school with you. They know you're harmless."

"I'm some would be to differ." Remus grinned.

"Well, those we pranked may not say you're totally harmless, but you are no danger to the students. Quite frankly I wouldn't trust Snape to make your potion. I'm still not convinced he didn't bring your potion late that night on purpose."

"Sirius, he couldn't possibly have known you would turn up and draw the kids and me away from school."

"No, but he suspected you were in league with me. He probably hoped you'd go wild and kill me by accident. Which would also result in you being executed. It wouldn't matter if I was a criminal, they would still kill you for killing me in your werewolf form. The rest of the year I was told that you took the potion the day before and the day of the full moon. Usually you drank it in the middle of the day. So one time, close to the end of the year when it could easily be made to look like he just got carried away with exam prep, he forgets to give you any the day before and brings it late on the day of the full moon. You have to admit, given his history it's highly suspicious." Sirius was scowling by the end of his speech and Remus looked thoughtful.

"I'm still not sure he would do that right under Dumbledore's nose."

"Since when has Dumbledore cared what Snape did. Even when he told everyone your secret he wasn't punished. He kept his job no matter what, you lost yours for something that wasn't even your fault. You were protecting the kids, something he should also have been doing. His thought wasn't to get the kids away from the dangerous werewolf, otherwise he wouldn't have hidden under the cloak for so long. When you factor in how eager he was to kill you in the Shack it seems even more suspicious. I bet he knew Dumbledore would value him as a spy more than giving you a job and so he would be safe to do whatever he wanted. It wasn't me he tied up, the dangerous wanted criminal, it was you. He wanted to give you to the Dementors without any proof you did anything. Despite the fact it was me who played that prank it has been you he targeted ever since. Not to mention that he knew you hadn't taken your potion, but he didn't bring it with him to the Shack did he? So if you went back I would supply all the wolfsbane you needed."

"As long as you promise not to make it yourself." Remus joked.

"I promise." Sirius laughed. "Please take the job. It would make me feel better to have someone there we can definitely trust and if it pisses Snivellus off, even better. You can also give Harry better Occlumency lessons if you were at the school."

"Alright, alright. I shall speak to Albus and take the job. It's going to be fun trying to repair the damage done." Remus sighed. Sirius clapped him on the back and beamed. Remus went off to send a letter to Dumbledore and Sirius went straight up to bed.

He rose early the next day and grinned to himself. Getting ready in his purple robes, he then flooed straight to Amelia's office. Daniel met them there and they made their way down to the atrium where Augusta joined the group. Anthony Davis also came over as Daniel had spoken to him the night before. The five strode into the Wizengamot chambers standing tall but looking grim. They seemed to radiate power and people moved out of their way as they got into their places. Soon the entire crowd was in place and Fudge was blustering around by the podium.

"What is the meaning of this?" He called.

"Close the doors." Daniel Greengrass called over him and the doors locked themselves. He continued to ignore Fudge and spoke directly to Sirius. "Lord Black has called an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot. Lord Black, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Chief Warlock. I called this emergency meeting because I was made aware last night that the Ministry appointed Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, Madam Umbridge, used an illegal blood quill on a student while they were in detention." There was instant uproar. Almost every single member of the Wizengamot had a member of their family at Hogwarts and so were horrified by this knowledge.

"She wouldn't...no proof." Fudge tried to reason but nobody was listening.

"To make matters worse, she used this illegal dark artifact on Lord Gryffindor. Not only a Lord of two Ancient and Most Noble Houses, but the Lord of a Hogwarts Founding house." SIrius continued.

"The boy is lying!" Fudge exclaimed.

"I have here a copy of Lord Gryffindor's memory from the incident. It was taken in front of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall and myself so has definitely not been tampered with." Sirius gestured to Daniel who came and collected the vial. He cast a spell and confirmed no tampering before fetching the special pensive to show the memory to a crowd. He had already had it ready as he knew what was coming. The Wizengamot watched as Umbridge assigned detention simply for receiving mail and having done an interview. They then watched as Umbridge looked gleefully upon Harry cutting his hand over and over again with the quill." Fudge was getting paler and paler throughout the memory, something Sirius took great pleasure in.

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Lord Black." Daniel said in the silence that followed. "Lady Bones, please take some Aurors and arrest Madam Umbridge on the following charges: Possession of an illegal artifact; use of an illegal artifact; use of an illegal artifact on a minor and use of an illegal artifact on a member of two Ancient and Most Noble Houses."

"Yes, Lord Greengrass." Amelia stood and strode from the room, inwardly dancing with glee. Sirius was also cheering inwardly but now the difficult business began.

"We must surely question whether the Minister knew anything about this. She was, after all, his undersecretary and very close to him. Madam Umbridge, to my knowledge, has never done anything without the Minister's approval."

"Of course I knew nothing about this. I would never allow such a thing." Fudge looked slightly green.

"As you would never allow a full trial for a simple matter of underage magic and then change the time of said trial illegally? Something you did this very summer to the same person in question." Sirius challenged. "Not only did you change the time of his trial outside of the allowed timeframe, you then attempted to deny him his right to tell his side of the story. It was only because Lady Bones stepped in that he was allowed to speak. That's two counts of illegal actions to Lord Gryffindor. He kindly did not press charges then, but with a second member of the Ministry using criminal methods against him, I may just counsel him to do so now." There were murmurs of agreement on the benches. Fudge was now very close to throwing up as he realised that if Harry pressed charges he would probably lose his job.

"I think that concludes our emergency meeting for today. I shall notify you all with the date of Madam Umbridge's trial." Daniel called out and then opened the doors again. Sirius made a move down towards Fudge.

"I think we have some business to discuss, Minister." He said smoothly. He had spoken at length with Amelia, Augusta and Daniel the night before and they had all agreed that it would be better to keep Fudge in power but under their thumb than have someone entirely new who may or may not believe Voldemort was back.

"Y..y...yes." Fudge stuttered. He escorted Sirius up to his office, his face still an unhealthy green colour.

"Now, Fudge, I'm going to be very honest with you. Voldemort is back. Whether you like it or not. I can show you proof in a memory if you would like. You will begin preparing the Aurors for another war. You will conduct checks in the Ministry for those wearing the Dark Mark on their arm. I'd personally start with your good buddy Malfoy. If you don't, I will press charges for Lord Potter for your behaviour around his trial and I will find some way to connect you to what Umbridge has done. I suspect it was either you or her who sent those Dementors after Harry in the summer to force him into doing magic. It's more likely her as you are too spineless to do such a thing but that will still reflect incredibly badly on you. You will not be Minister for very long." Sirius sat back and watched Fudge's face now cycle through green, puce, purple and then white.

"You want me to make a public announcement he is back?" Fudge asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"No. That will allow Voldemort to know we are onto him. At the moment he is using your ignorance to build his ranks before open war. We need to prepare as well or he will win. You can then use this as proof you have been doing something when the truth finally does come out. I shall then not provide the Wizarding public with the proof that you were informed he was back in June and did nothing, instead slandering the only two people who have stood against him personally and lived.

"What would you have me do?"

"First, you need to remove the Dementors from Azkaban. They will join Voldemort the second he asks. Have Aurors guarding the prison. I will personally provide funds to the Auror department for new recruits and better training schemes. You will then need to conduct a search of Ministry staff for those who have the Dark Mark on their arm. He will still have some followers that are unmarked but do not have the manpower to interrogate every member with Veritaserum. Shame really. Those you do catch with the mark are to be arrested and given a trial with Veritaserum so they can provide names of others you haven't caught. You can then ask them again if they were under the Imperius curse when caught last time. I suspect many of them will have lied."

"I will arrange a team of loyal people."

"Your idea of loyalty included Umbridge. I suggest you let Amelia pick a team. Naturally they will all have to swear an oath that they do not serve Voldemort or support him in any way."

"Of course, I'll speak with Amelia as soon as she comes back from arresting Dolores." Fudge mumbled.

"Good. I shall be on my way Minister." Sirius stood up and smiled grimly. Fudge shook the offered hand tentatively and watched as Lord Black disappeared into the fire. Once he was gone, Fudge sank back into his chair, head in his hands. He wondered how things could have gone so horribly wrong. On the plus side, Lord Black seemed willing to keep him in power if he went along with the suggested arrangements and if there was one thing Cornelius wanted it was to stay in power. He began by sending a note to Amelia, requesting a meeting.

Harry was enjoying the study period in Professor McGonagall's office. She had spent the first half grading essays while he got on with his Arithmancy essay that he had been set the day before. After that she had helped him practise some more complex Transfiguration and non verbal spells. Once the hour and a half was up they made their way down to the Great Hall, only to hear a rather large commotion. They both rushed forward, having some idea what was going on, and emerged into the Hall to see Umbridge standing defiantely in front of Amelia Bones, Kingsley and Tonks.

"You cannot do this, I am the Senior Under Secretary to the Minister himself." Umbridge was screeching.

"That does not put you above the law Delores. What you have done is illegal." Madam Bones told her sternly. "Kingsley." She nodded to the dark skinned man and he waved his wand quickly. Umbridge fell to the floor with her hands bound in front of her. The entire school, except a few Slytherins, began cheering and clapping. McGonagall noticed that most of the staff were included, herself as well. "Tonks, search her office while we take her back to the Ministry." Madam Bones ordered. Tonks nodded, grinning to herself and left the Hall. She nodded and winked at Harry on her way passed. Amelia and Kingsley took the unconscious Umbridge and marched out of the hall.

The Great Hall was now louder than ever before and people looked happier than they had since the start of the year. However, Harry found that the best surprise came when Remus walked into the Hall. As soon as he did, Harry switched his gaze to Snape with glee. He watched as the sallow faced man looked up and froze. He went as white as Dumbledore's beard and then twin splashes of red appeared on his cheeks. The look he gave the werewolf was beyond loathing and Harry was sure he could almost see steam coming out of his ears. Remus appeared oblivious to this, but the smirk on his face gave away the fact that he was watching Snape out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned and winked at Harry. Dumbledore then stood up and silence fell.

"As we have unfortunately lost Professor Umbridge…" He had to stop as another burst of cheers rang around the hall. "I wish to introduce your new Defence Professor. Please welcome back, Professor Remus Lupin. He will be starting tomorrow, so any Defence classes this afternoon will have to be used as study periods." Every table except the Slytherin one broke out in tremendous applause. He gave a mock bow and grinned mischievously around at everyone.

"Hello everyone, I'm glad to be back. Now, I have a quick announcement to make, don't look so concerned, I promise it won't be a very long, boring speech." He got a few laughs, mainly from the Weasley twins. "As Professor Snape so kindly made you aware during my last stay, I am indeed a werewolf. This is why, on the night of a full moon, no student is to be on the grounds after dinner as a precaution. I am being supplied with wolfsbane potion so that I keep my mind and will spend my evening in the Shrieking Shack, far away from all of you, however this new rule is still very important. Anyone found outside on the night of a full moon at any time after dinner will find that detention is the least of their problems. Thank you." He sat back down and everyone clapped again, though it was a little more muted this time. People finally began to redirect their attention to lunch, although with all the excitement, lunchtime was almost over.

"Will the DA still go ahead?" Neville turned to ask Harry.

"We can ask Professor Lupin. We have had so many bad teachers that he will probably appreciate us doing some of our own studying to help catch up." Harry shrugged. Neville nodded looking happy.

"I'm so glad he is coming back."

"We all are." Fred said, overhearing their conversation.

"We'd better go." Harry muttered to Neville. They had Potions that afternoon. Harry wondered whether Snape would be able to restrain himself and continue ignoring Harry, with his most hated enemy back within the castle. It turned out that he wasn't able to do so. He spent the entire lesson hovering over every single Gryffindor, including Harry, criticizing every single move they made. He reduced Hermione to tears and 'accidentally' dropped Harry's sample once he saw Harry had vanished the rest of his potion. He was tempted to complain to Sirius, but he realised that at the end of the day it didn't matter what Snape graded him. The only results that really mattered was his OWL and he was confident he could do well on that. He didn't see the need to bother Sirius more, when he was probably still very unhappy about the Umbridge fiasco.

The next few days went by smoothly and the first Quidditch match of the season began to draw near. Harry was pleased to be out flying so much. Angelina had kept it to three sessions a week which was good because he struggling to keep up with the horrible amounts of homework. He had passed the fourth year Arithmancy exam the Monday after Halloween. Now both Professor Babbling and Professor Vector were assigning weekly essays to go along with his self study. He was pleased to be averaging between a E and an O in Runes and a steady E in Arithmancy.

He had spoken to Remus who was more than happy for the DA to continue, which made them all happy. Harry had told them all that Fred, George, Angelina and Alicia would be leading a few lessons on non verbal spells after Christmas. He had also promised to teach them all Patronuses in the new term as well. They had only had a few sessions so far but they all seemed to be enjoying it. Harry had decided that once everybody mastered a spell they would have mock duels using that spell and shield charms only. It worked well with Expelliarmus and now they had moved onto learning shield charms for those that didn't already know how to do one as he felt that was a very important spell to learn. It would also help with mock duels as constant practise helped to make shields stronger.

On the Saturday morning of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin game, Harry sat at the breakfast table with the whole team. Ron was looking quite sickly and was refusing to eat anything. Everybody kept telling he would be great but Harry was very aware his friend suffered from nerves. He could make some great saves but as soon as one went in he usually fell to pieces.

"Hey, at least you aren't likely to have to deal with Quirrell cursing your broom. Or Dobby trying to help you by bewitching a bludger." Harry joked. Ron let out a strange noise that seemed to be a mixture of snort and groan. Finally Angelina ushered them all out to the changing rooms. Conditions looked very good. It was overcast and breezy but not raining. On the pitch Angelina shook hands with the Slytherin captain who, as usual, was trying to break her fingers. They took off and Harry got a quick glimpse of the snitch before it sped off out of sight.

As usual, Lee Jordan was commentating but Harry was focusing more on Ron than looking for the snitch. A few minutes in a Slytherin chaser broke free and sped towards the goalposts. He feinted to the left and Ron just about managed to make the save. Feeling much better, Harry turned his attention back to his own job. He kept one ear closely on the score and Ron made another couple of saves, bringing Gryffindor in front 40-0. Then he let the first goal in with a well placed shot by Flint. The game deteriorated from there. Harry sped up and down the pitch, followed closely by Malfoy, trying desperately to find the snitch as they Gryffindor chasers tried to keep up with the goals that Ron let in.

"Weasel is doing so well." Malfoy jeered as they passed each other in the middle of the pitch.

"Talk to me when you actually manage to win a match against me." Harry called back with a roll of his eyes.

"100-120 to Slytherin." Lee groaned as Ron let in yet another goal. Turning around as he reached the Slytherin end of the pitch, Harry spotted a gleam of gold down by the foot of the nearest post. Glancing up he saw Malfoy right over the other side and he dived.

"POTTER'S SEEN THE SNITCH!" Lee yelled. Harry heard whistling behind him, he glanced back and saw a bludger pelting right at him. He rolled sideways to avoid it, still heading in the direction of the snitch, only to be smashed into from the other side by the second beater. He flew straight into the post and wheezed as all the breath got knocked out of him.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee bellowed into the magical megaphone. McGonagall didn't bother telling him off.

Barely keeping hold of his broom, Harry looked around blearily and saw the snitch had gone. Crabbe was grinning at him trollishly. He gingerly felt his ribs and determined none were broken, just rather bruised and fle off back to the middle of the pitch. Madam Hooch had called a penalty which Angelina scored bringing them level.

It took another fifteen minutes before the snitch was seen again. Slytherin were starting to pull away and Harry saw it flying twenty feet above Ron's head. He sped over, fully aware Malfoy actually had a head start, but the Slytherin seeker hadn't seen it yet despite being closer. Harry whistled past him and Malfoy turned, finally seeing the golden ball too late. He gave a chase but the Firebolt was too quick for him and Harry's hand finally closed around the tiny ball with delight. As he closed his fingers around it, something collided with the small of his back sending him flying forwards off his broom. Thankfully Ron was below him and he managed to slow his fall until the twins arrived and between the three of them, they got Harry onto Fred's broom. George then summoned Harry's broom before it flew away and the four of them sunk to the ground. Madam Hooch was off berating Goyle for the bludger attack, but McGonagall was on the scene, sending Harry to Madam Pomfrey. The twins had to carry him because he was too sore with the beating his torso had taken both back and front. The last thing he remembered was Madam Pomfrey fussing around him, muttering darkly before sleep claimed him.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Christmas

Christmas was approaching rapidly and the excitement around the castle grew. Ravenclaw had beaten Hufflepuff rather soundly which was good for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry was trying to decide who to invite to the Greengrass Yule Ball. He and Katie had not really seen much of each other outside of DA meetings and Quidditch practise. There hadn't been a Hogsmeade weekend since Halloween and neither of them had sought out the other since. He concluded that while Katie was really nice and they got on well, they would remain friends, albeit a lot closer than they had been before their date.

DA meetings were going really well. Having Professor Lupin back teaching made everyone except the Slytherins happy, but it meant Harry could make the meetings much more fun. Now that they were having proper lessons, this was for practise only. They had accuracy games at the end of every session and they were all delighted when Harry announced they would have a duelling tournament in the last session before Christmas. He told them they could only use spells they had practised in DA sessions as this reduced the gap in knowledge between the youngest and oldest students. He had found that the Creevey brothers were actually rather creative once they managed to get their spells on target. The most improved person was Neville. Between the sessions they had with just the Hufflepuffs and the DA, he had come a long way. He was flourishing at being a leader and his confidence was being boosted further every session.

The last weekend of term was a Hogsmeade weekend and Neville was taking Hannah on another date. Susan and Justin were also going together so Harry had planned to go with Ernie until he found out that Ernie had a date with a fourth year Ravenclaw. Ron and Lavender were also going together so he was at a loss. One day before the visit, Harry was approached by Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis.

"Potter?" She called. Harry looked over at her in surprise but followed them into an empty classroom. "We heard talk about a Defence study session."

"Yeah." Harry frowned slightly. He knew the DA didn't have to remain secret now but it had been a closed group since it was founded with the exception of Seamus who Dean had brought along to the last meeting with Neville's permission. They had relaxed the rule about all leaders needing to agree as it didn't matter whether teachers found out what was going on.

"We'd like to come along, with my sister Astoria." Daphne told him, making it sound like it wasn't a request.

"Of course. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday evening at 7pm. It's up on the seventh floor by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy." She nodded and strode from the room. He did wonder how they had found out, the DA members didn't usually talk about it in public especially not around Slytherins. He found he didn't really mind, though Ron would be a different matter. After a few moments he made his way back up to the common room for the evening, bringing out his Herbology homework. By the time Neville and Ron came in he was finished with that essay and was now trying to finish Transfiguration before bed. The two boys came and flopped down beside him and with identical groans, began withdrawing their own homework.

The last DA meeting before Christmas saw the three Slytherins join for the first time. Harry had spoken to most of the group beforehand so, while they weren't entirely trusted, they were welcomed like any other normal member. Harry had to have a very long chat with Ron about his views on Slytherins but thankfully he had agreed to leave them alone as long as he didn't have to actually interact with them. Today was supposed to be the duelling tournament so Harry ran through the list of spells that were allowed for the Slytherins and they all nodded at him.

"Are you going to be in it?" Katie asked him with a grin.

"You really want to lose that badly?" He returned with a smirk. "Yes I will be entering. When I duel, either Neville or Susan will be referee. First up we have…" He waved his wand and a piece of parchment he had prepared in a hat earlier sped into his hand. "Cho versus Dean." He announced holding up both pieces of parchment. The rest of the group moved around the edge of the duelling arena and Harry got the room to put up a shield so nobody would be hit by stray spells. The two duellers took up positions and bowed to each other. "Three, two, one, duel." Harry called.

It started out slowly. Cho kept glancing over at Harry and every time she did, she would mispronounce her spell. Dean had no such problem but he had started on the defensive, using mainly shield spells. Once he realised that Cho could barely string two correct spells together he began to use more offensive spells. After a further couple of minutes, he hit her with three successive stunners which broke through her rather weak shield. With a quick disarming charm, Dean had won. He grinned and moved off to be congratulated by Ginny. Harry gave him a grin and then quickly worked through what each of them had done well and what they had done poorly. Then he put Dean's name down as the winner on his notes and waved his wand again so that two more names flew over.

"Fred versus Colin." Both of them grinned at each other as they took up positions. They bowed and Harry counted them in. This was a much faster paced duel than the last one. Fred and Colin both took up the offensive. It was quite close but Fred's reflexes were far greater than Colin's so he managed to get the upper-hand. After a fast and furious five minutes, Fred was sporting hair down to his knees but was standing victorious over Colin who had been hit with a jelly-legs jinx followed up by a stunner. He had managed to block the first but not the second. Again, both were congratulated and then the group went over strengths and weaknesses, this time with more than just Harry pointing out things he had spotted.

He called out Daphne's name, a little anxious of everyone's reaction but thankfully they all cheered as they had for everyone else. She was up against Ron and won with very little difficulty. Ron was a very tactical duelling but without much practise he took far too long debating his next move and Daphne slipped in to stun and disarm him after only a few minutes.

Angelina and Alicia were up next and it was just a fast as the previous duel. Both girls knew each other very well and were quite evenly matched for skill and reflexes. It went on far longer than the last duels but finally after a good fifteen minutes Alicia managed to catch Angelina under her guard with a disarming charm. Over the next little while Neville beat Dennis Creevey; Katie defeated Cho's friend Marietta; Harry had beaten Susan in a very hard fought battle. It was the third longest duel of the night. Into the third round they had been treated to a wonderful duel between Fred and George. It was easily the longest duel, lasting a good thirty minutes because they knew exactly how the other would think. Fred won in the end but it was incredibly entertaining for everyone watching. They had strayed outside the list of spells the DA had learnt and into more prank jinxes that left people dying to try them out. Fred emerged as the overall winner of the tournament after a fun duel with Harry who had also reached the final after beating Hermione, Lavender and Ernie. Harry promised to get him some Honeydukes chocolate as a prize as the Hogsmeade weekend was two days later.

It turned out that they were allowed to Hogsmeade on the Saturday and then would return home for Christmas holidays on Monday so Sirius had gotten permission from McGonagall to take Harry home on the Saturday. During the Hogsmeade visit, Harry met up with all his Hufflepuff friends and Neville for lunch. While they waited for people to arrive, Harry spoke with Neville about the balls over the coming holiday. Neville had agreed to arrive early for Harry's ball and go over the etiquette for being a host yet again beforehand. Just then Susan sat down opposite Hannah.

"Where's Justin?" Hannah asked her.

"Getting drinks. We've decided to just be friends." Susan told them. "We've been dating since September but nothing has really changed. It doesn't feeling any different to when we were friends." Harry knew exactly where she was coming from, that was how it had been with Katie. Although Katie had agreed to be his date for his own ball. She would be arriving early and be part of the greeting line that was required for formal events.

"I'm sorry." Neville told her.

"Don't worry. It's all still friendly and he is still coming to Harry's ball with me, but as friends not as my date." Susan explained.

"At least it wasn't a messy breakup." Hannah smiled consolingly, pointing out the far corner of the pub where one couple were having a loud argument. Susan nodded vigorously. Justin then came over with Ernie and his date and they all got lost in discussion once again, placing bets who would win the next duelling tournament. Eventually it was time for Harry to meet Sirius. He spotted his godfather at the bar and said goodbye to his friends. Sirius threw an arm around his shoulders as soon as he saw Harry and the two of them disapparated back to Grimmauld Place.

"How come we are here?" He asked Sirius, having expected to go to Potter Manor. He was incredibly excited to see his family home rebuilt.

"I've put up anti apparition wards around the place. We are going to floo from here, it is the only place that has floo access. On the night of your ball I will open it up but it will close again once everyone is gone." Sirius explained. Harry nodded. Together they walked into number 12 and straight down to the kitchen. "The floo address is Marauder's House at the moment." Harry took some floo powder and stepped distastefully into the flames. A swirl of green later, he staggered out into a rather large living room. He had barely had time to regain his balance before Sirius was arriving gracefully with a smirk.

"I hate floo." Harry complained before he looked around properly and gasped. The room was painted a cream colour with gold accents. A deep red carpet covered the floor and the furniture was the same colour as the walls. There was a large sofa against the wall to Harry's left, next to a loveseat that had a red throw draped over the back of it, To his left was a large window where the wall would have been. It looked out over the grounds. There was a large grassy area with a beautiful fountain in the middle. From what he could see, Harry determined it was made of marble and the statue was of a unicorn, with water spouting from the horn. There was a swing chair placed beside the fountain and a table with some chairs not far from that. Beyond the grassy area lay a Quidditch pitch which made him turn to look at Sirius with a wide grin.

"Pretty isn't it?" Sirius laughed.

"It's amazing. Can we play Quidditch?" He burst out excitedly.

"Let's have a tour of the place first." He took Harry's hand and led him out of the room. Adjoining the living room was a kitchen, a bathroom and a hallway that led to a study for each of them and a duelling room. Sirius told him that he was going to start giving Harry some proper training which excited the teenager even more than the prospect of Quidditch. The remaining rooms on the ground floor were the ballroom and the entrance room. Sirius explained that this was simply a place to greet people who were arriving for formal occasions, such as the New Year Ball. It saved his having to use the more private floo in the living room.

On the first floor were the bedrooms. Six in total but Harry was absolutely delighted with his. He spent at least an hour looking over every inch of it in excitement. Once they had fully explored, Sirius took him to meet the new House-Elves. As they entered the room there was an excited squeal and Harry felt something thump into his midriff.

"Master Harry Potter Sir." Came a delighted voice and looking down Harry saw…

"Dobby! You work here?"

"Yes. Master Harry Potter's Paddy asked Professor Dumbledore if Dobby could come and work here sir."

"That's great Dobby." Harry smiled, pleased to see his friend. He then greeted all the other elves and finally retired to the living room. By the time he got back, he found Remus sitting on the sofa reading a book.

"Remus! Where have you been hiding?" Harry grinned, giving the werewolf a hug.

"I had to fetch a few things from Diagon Alley." He explained. The three of them sat down and spent the evening playing games and simply enjoying each others company for the first time since the summer.

Harry woke on Christmas morning to something wet on his face. Sitting up and looking around blearily, he spotted Sirius as Padfoot licking his face. With a curse he reached for his glasses and his wand. Spotting the wand, Sirius jumped back and turned into a human again.

"Now, now, it's Christmas." He grinned, holding out his hands in a surrender position. Harry flicked his eyes over to the clock.

"It's also four thirty in the morning." With that he waved his wand and jinxed Sirius' hair green and silver. Without any effects he could feel, Sirius was suspicious but quickly brushed it off and pulled Harry out of bed and downstairs to the living room. A very sleepy looking Remus was already lounging on the loveseat with a mug of coffee. He sniggered when he spotted Sirius and Harry stumbling into the room.

"Presents!" Sirius yelled. Harry really wanted to strangle his godfather but it was so nice to see him acting like an overexcited five year old that he couldn't bring himself to get too annoyed. Sirius magically divided up the presents between them and eagerly dived into his own pile. Harry and Remus exchanged indulgent eye rolls before turning to their own piles. The air was full of the sounds of ripping paper and exclamations of joy. Harry received the usual package of sweets from Ron and the jumper from Mrs Weasley. This year it was an emerald green one with a snitch on the front. He did note that Sirius had not received one despite the fact that Remus had.

Hermione had gotten him a homework planner that gave out warnings whenever he opened it. Tonks had sent him some books on Auror training which was clearly co-ordinated with Remus who had given him a set of books on advanced spells. Fred and George sent him a full set of their products so far, along with a few prototypes with a note to test them on Sirius. Katie had sent him a new pair of Quidditch gloves designed to increase grip in wet conditions which made him laugh because he had gotten her exactly the same thing. He had noticed that her own pair were wearing very thin. He was surprised to see a parcel from Professor McGonagall that contained yet more books. These were about Animagus transformation and advanced Transfiguration. Sirius had bought him a handy penknife that could unlock any lock, amongst many other things. He had also bought him a pair of specialist duelling robes. They were made of dragonhide and much more resistant to spells than usual robes.

"Harry." Sirius called out suddenly, his voice quiet but thick with emotion as he stared down at his present. Harry grinned. It was a photo album. Over the summer he had gotten Tonks to take several pictures of him and Sirius without the animagus being aware. Remus was in a few of them as were the twins. The cover was decorated with a forest where a dog, stag and wolf were clearly playing. The sides were decorated with lilies. At the very back was a copy of the photograph taken at his parents wedding. He had found out that Remus had been the one to send that to Hagrid and that Sirius had lost his copy when he got sent to Azkaban so the duo had made another one. Remus had helped provide a couple more from their time at school that didn't have the rat in. As he looked over at his godfather, he saw the grey eyes shining brightly back at him, full of unshed tears. Suddenly, Harry was being pulled into a tight hug. He felt his shoulder getting damp and simply hugged the older man harder.

When he finally pulled back, he spotted Remus watching them with an unreadable expression. Harry reached his arm out to the werewolf and pulled him into a threeway hug. It took them a long while to collect themselves, but eventually they returned to opening the remaining presents. Harry had also gotten Sirius a mug with 'world's best godfather' on it which earned him another hug. Remus had been much harder to shop for. In the end he had settled on some rare books from the Potter vault and duelling robes of his own, although this had been Sirius' suggestion. Once everything had been opened, Dobby cleaned it up and handed Harry a present of his own, a handmade painting. It took Harry a few seconds to recognise that it was supposed to be of him.

"Er...thanks Dobby. It's...great." He tried to sound enthusiastic. The little elf simply beamed and puffed out his chest in pride. Once he was gone, Sirius rolled on the floor laughing his head off while Remus tried not to do the same. "Shut up, both of you. Or I'll tell Kreacher he has to get you a present." He threatened Sirius. That sobered him up rather quickly.

"You wouldn't?"

"I would." Harry grinned widely. Together they all headed to the kitchen for some breakfast as Sirius was now complaining about being hungry. Altogether, it was the best Christmas Harry had ever had.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Yule Ball

After a sumptuous Christmas lunch prepared by the elves, Harry had to go and get ready for the ball that evening. He settled on a plain white dress shirt with black slacks and his green formal robes with the Potter crest, the Gryffindor crest and the Black crest on. The Gryffindor crest had been added over the Christmas holidays. Remus has taken all his formal robes into Madam Malkin's' shop since it was now public knowledge that Harry was the Head of House Gryffindor. He tried to flatten his hair but he couldn't remember the spell Sirius had used to tame it even slightly. In the end he decided to just wait until he was downstairs and let his godfather do it for him.

He heard voices downstairs and realised that Sirius must be dressed already. With a heavy sigh he gave himself one last check in the mirror and then made his way downstairs. Remus and Sirius were both waiting for him by the floo. His godfather grinned at him and cast the spell on his hair so it was less messy.

"You clean up pretty good pup." Sirius smiled warmly.

"You don't look quite so much like an old man." Harry grinned.

"Oi!" Sirius complained. "If I hadn't just sorted your hair out I would get you for that." He warned. Harry simply grinned and got ready to use the floo. Sirius had been giving him lessons to help him get out without falling on his face but he still got ash all over himself. He had become very acquainted with the vanishing charm. At one minute to 8, Harry took a pinch of floo and stepped into the fire. After a few seconds of sickening spinning, he staggered out of the fireplace and regained his balance.

"Are you alright?" He looked up and saw Daniel Greengrass looking at him amusedly.

"Yes, I'm fine thank you sir." Harry replied, straightening and bowing as he had been taught.

"Welcome to Greengrass manor." Daniel smiled. "Let me introduce my wife, Celine, and my daughters, Daphne and Astoria."

"It is lovely to meet you Lord Potter." Mrs Greengrass beamed at him.

"The pleasure is all mine." He responded, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles as Sirius had instructed. She laughed lightly and just then Sirius arrived stepping so gracefully out of the floo that Harry was jealous. He returned his attention to the girls.

"So glad you could attend the ball." Daphne gave him a polite smile and he kissed her hand. She looked rather bored and her smile rather forced. He imagined she had been standing there for a while already and had plenty of guests still to greet.

"You look lovely this evening, Miss Greengrass. Your father was most gracious to provide us with an invitation." Harry hated all the formalities but it had to be done. "You look stunning as well." He smiled over at Astoria who beamed back. He kissed her hand and moved to the side to Sirius could greet them as well. Then they headed into the main ballroom. As they were exactly on time not many guests were present but Harry spotted Neville standing next to his grandmother with Hannah. They made their way over.

"Hey Neville, Hannah." Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hi Harry." They replied in unison. Sirius began talking to Neville's grandmother and Hannah's parents, leaving the three of them to their own devices. They all headed off to get drinks as more people began to arrive. Soon Susan, Ernie and his date, the same fourth year Ravenclaw he had gone to Hogsmeade with, had joined their group. After about half an hour the Greengrasses came in as everyone had now arrived and announced that dinner was ready and led them all through to the dining room. There was a long table with name cards placed at each seat. The heirs had their own table that ran alongside the first but to Harry's horror he had been sat with the adults due to his status as a lord. Neville gave him a supportive clap on the back before he took his seat between Sirius and Amelia. Thankfully his seat wasn't so bad. Daniel sat at the head of the table with Celine at the other end. Daphne sat on his right.

As the food was served, Harry drowned out most of the adult talk and dug into his food with gusto wishing he could be chatting with his friends. Soon they were moving onto dessert and he began to finally pay some attention. Sirius was talking to Lord Abbott, who sat opposite, about their hopes for the future in the Wizengamot. Once Christmas was out of they way, he was planning to make a press towards relaxing some of the laws around werewolves.

"So what are your views towards werewolves in general, Harry?" Lord Abbott asked him with a smile.

"I think that people forget they are only werewolves once a month. The rest of the time they are humans who need money to live just like the rest of us. Turning into an animal once a month does not mean they deserve to live like animals the rest of their lives. Some, I will admit deserve nothing more than to be put down, those who chose to dedicate their life to turning more people and take delight in harming people. However, don't we have regular humans who do that? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named isn't a werewolf and yet people regard him as quite possible the most evil man in history. He uses the killing curse and cruciatus curse and some werewolves chose to use their teeth but the result is the same. Just because one man turned evil and tried to kill lots of people doesn't mean every other human should be persecuted for it, why is it the same for werewolves?" Harry frowned.

"You make some good points. Lord Black has clearly taught you well. Now, what if I were to make the point that werewolves might be human for most of the month, but that one night they cannot control themselves which makes them more dangerous. It is the lack of control that people fear." Lord Abbott smiled.

"Well, there is a potion for that now. However, most werewolves can't afford it because they can't get a job so it's a vicious circle. If laws were relaxed and werewolves allowed to get a job on the condition that they kept a supply of wolfsbane then everybody wins. There still need to be laws in place for werewolves who deliberately attack people, those who refuse to use wolfsbane even if it is made available but to all those who simply want to live a normal life it could make a massive difference."

"Well reasoned, but you forget the point that with wolfsbane being so expensive, even with a job most werewolves wouldn't be able to afford a constant supply." Lord Davis asked from a little further down. Harry noticed with some embarrassment that everyone sitting around them was listening to the conversation.

"Well, I plan on buying the main company in charge of the production of wolfsbane and producing it more cheaply." Harry admitted. Sirius looked at him in surprise, this was the first he had heard of this plan.

"That's a very interesting investment." Lord Nott raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's not an investment really. I don't care if I make money out of it, I have more than enough healthy investments that I plan on expanding. I can afford one that can help make people's lives better. Given that the potion only targets a small part of the population and the market cannot really be expanded, not many people would bother to invest in it. I can so I will." Harry shrugged. Sirius then changed the topic to the upcoming duelling championships in Germany.

Once dinner was finished, everyone made their way back to the ballroom. As neither of them had dates, Harry asked Susan to dance and she happily agreed. He tried hard to remember his lessons and not tread on Susan's toes. The band played a couple of fast paced songs which he really enjoyed dancing too. When they swapped to a much slower song he put his arm on her waist awkwardly and held her closer in the correct position. After that one song he thanked her and made his way to the edge of the dancefloor as quickly as he could without seeming rude. Sirius was off dancing with Lady Abbott. Neville and Hannah were also taking a break so he joined them and they asked about how dinner had gone.

"It was ok. I just let them all talk until your dad got into a discussion with me about werewolves." Harry smiled over at Hannah.

"Yeah, he's been very interested in talking to Lord Black about magical creature laws recently. It's mostly what made him agree to an alliance." She told him. The music picked up the pace again.

"Hannah, would you do me the honour of having this dance? Provided Neville doesn't mind of course."

"I'd love to." She grinned.

"Go on you two, I'm gonna ask Susan for a dance anyway." Neville said. While dancing with Hannah, Harry reflected how much more fun this was than the Yule Ball at Hogwarts had been. No Ron and Hermione arguments. He could actually dance now and he seemed to just fit in much better. He was more comfortable in his own skin.

"You alright? You seem distracted." Hannah asked him.

"Sorry. Just thinking how much has changed." He admitted.

"Yeah, this whole year has been a complete mix up." She agreed. The song ended and he thanked her before returning her to Neville. He spent some time on the sideline, drinking the butterbeer. Sirius was now dancing with Amelia with a grace he still wished he could achieve.

"Enjoying the ball?" Came a voice from his left. He looked over and saw Daphne approaching.

"Yes, it's wonderful." He smiled slightly. "Are you having a good time?"

"I would be if Draco would stop following me around. He thinks if he bothers me enough my I'll get my father to agree to a betrothal with him." She wrinkled her nose.

"I thought he and Parkinson were together."

"Assumptions are dangerous. No, Parkinson simply wishes they were. They grew up together and she decided he was going to be hers but a betrothal between those two houses would not be beneficial for Lord Malfoy and so he has refused so far."

"I'm glad Sirius said I don't have to have a betrothal contract. I can marry who I like." Harry said.

"You're lucky. My father has allowed me a lot of freedom so far but it is approaching the time he will be looking for suitors." She scowled.

"Nobody caught your eye then?" He asked teasingly.

"No. I wish to take over my father's estate one day, not play wife to some Lord who has no use for a woman other than to provide an heir."

"Just from the DA session, I can tell you would never be able to live with someone like that." Harry laughed. "Do you just want to take over or do you have a career in mind?"

"I'd like to be a potioneer. It will be many years before my father retires so I wish to have a career before taking over. However, if I were to get married with a betrothal contract my husband would be in charge of running the estate not me."

"Well that's rubbish."

"It's how it is." She replied, looking incredibly like the Ice Queen she got her nickname for.

"Would you honor me with a dance?" He asked, offering his arm.

"Alright." She sniffed and followed him onto the dance floor. They danced together for a couple of songs, chatting about school subjects they both enjoyed. When the third song finished he kissed her knuckles and thanked her for her time just as Roger Davis came and asked her for a dance. He then went to join his friends. The Patil twins were hovering around Neville.

"Hi Harry." Parvati greeted coolly.

"Hi Parvati. Hi Padma." Harry smile at both of them and then sighed, knowing he would probably regret what he was about to do. "Parvati, would you like to dance? I believe I definitely owe you one."

"Alright then?" She giggled. He still felt slightly guilty for how he had behaved at the Yule Ball. Of course having asked Parvati he was obliged to ask Padma to dance once he had time. It was exhausting and he couldn't wait to go home. He almost groaned when he realised he had to do it all again at New Year and briefly considered cancelling his own party despite knowing he couldn't really. Sirius came and found him just before midnight.

"Having fun pup?"

"I'm exhausted. Way too much dancing." Harry said but he was smiling. "It's been good though."

"Let's bid goodnight to our hosts and head to bed." Harry nodded and they made their way around the dance floor to where Daniel and Celine were talking.

"It's been a lovely night, Daniel but we are going to bid you goodnight. Thank you for being such gracious hosts and we both look forward to seeing you on New Years Eve." Sirius bowed and smiled.

"Thank you both for coming, We shall see you in a week." Daniel nodded his head.

"It was a wonderful ball." Harry added, kissing Celine's knuckles. She beamed at him and they took their leave. Harry stopped quickly to say goodnight to Neville and wish him a happy Christmas.

A few minutes later they were back in Potter Manor. Remus had been waiting for them in the living room and greeted them both with a smile.

"Did you have fun?" He asked Harry.

"Yeah, actually it was good. Bit too much dancing but it's more enjoyable now I actually can dance without standing on my partner's toes." He grimaced.

"More enjoyable for them too I imagine." Sirius laughed. "It was good though. Lord Abbott and Lord Davis engaged Harry here in political conversation. The poor kid had to sit at the adult table." Remus winced on his behalf.

"Ah yes, being a lord is great isn't it?" He asked sarcastically.

"I have to do it at my own party too." Harry pouted.

"Yep. Sorry kiddo, but you get to sit at the head of the table." Sirius grinned.

"Because that's so much better." He rolled his eyes. "It's been the best Christmas ever though. Thanks guys." Harry reached over and pulled Sirius into a hug.

"You're welcome." Sirius beamed, burying his face in his godson's hair. He then thrust out an arm blindly and pulled Remus into the hug too and they stayed like that for a few minutes until Harry yawned.

"Bedtime." Remus laughed. The three of them made their way upstairs and each went to their own room. Harry wanted to lay awake and relive his day but sleep quickly took him.

The week that followed was as busy as the summer had been. Harry spent Boxing day relaxing and playing Quidditch with Sirius. After that they made a trip to Gringotts where Harry spoke to his account manager about his plan to buy the company that made wolfsbane. Sharpblade agreed to speak to the company on his behalf and draw up a contract. They then discussed the other business opportunities Sharpblade saw as being good for investment which Harry approved most of.

While in Diagon Alley they made a quick stop to the Dr Mullpepper's and Flourish and Blotts. Sirius protested about the last stop but Remus insisted. Once the shopping was finished they went back to the manor to prepare for dinner and the Bones'. It was a pleasant evening. Harry, Justin, Hannah, Neville and Susan spent their time planning more DA sessions. They all snuck into the duelling room and practised together until there was a cough behind them and they realised all the adults were watching. They all looked faintly embarrassed at being caught.

"Well that was impressive. Looks like you guys have a very good teacher." Amelia smiled.

"We do." They all said together. Everyone else was looking at Harry but Harry himself assumed they meant Remus. He looked surprised when all his friends were smiling over at him.

"Why don't you lot duel the five of us?" Sirius suggested. Harry looked at the others eagerly.

"Alright then." Susan nodded.

"Great." Sirius grinned. He stepped forwards, shrugging off his outer robe and drawing his wand. They all got into duelling positions and began. The adults won but the five kids made them work hard for it. After duelling together for a few months they worked well as a unit but were eventually overcome by the duelling expertise of both Sirius and Amelia in particular. The adults were all impressed by the standard of the kids and told them so before the party proceeded to break up. Harry spent a while talking over the finer points of the duel with Sirius and Remus, asking them for pointers on how he could have done better.

During the rest of the days before his ball, Sirius started giving Harry duelling lessons alongside his continued lordship training. It kept him busy. In between lessons they often played Quidditch. On one afternoon, Harry flooed over to the Burrow to spend some time with Ron. He thought that Hermione had gone skiing with her parents but she appeared while he was there explaining that skiing wasn't really her thing. Things got a little awkward when Ron mentioned the New Years party as Hermione still wasn't invited. Especially as she was now staying with the Weasley's who were all invited. He wasn't really sure what to do about that.

"Well, Harry dear, she can't stay here on her own. We are supposed to be looking after her." Molly pointed out.

"Hermione does have her own parents, Mrs Weasley." Harry frowned.

"They are still away." Hermione argued and he wondered if this had been her plan but pushed the idea away. He made an excuse about going to the bathroom and mirror called Sirius. Sirius had agreed with his assessment of why he wasn't inviting Hermione and would know what to do.

"Honestly, Harry, your only options are to allow the Weasleys to bring her as long as they guarantee her behaviour. Arthur will understand the responsibility even if Molly doesn't or you don't invite the Weasleys." With that advice Harry went back downstairs and looked over at Hermione.

"Firstly, I don't appreciate being put in this position." He frowned over at her. "However, due to the circumstances I accept that Hermione cannot stay here on her own. So she can come, as long as you can guarantee her behaviour." He addressed the last part to Mr Weasley.

"I'm not a baby, I don't need someone to guarantee I behave myself." Hermione scowled.

"Actually, yes you do. This is a wizarding event and you do not know the correct customs. Political alliances are at stake as I have already explained to you and I do not want that ruined, so please read up on correct etiquette." Harry scowled.

"I'll guarantee her behaviour Harry." Arthur smiled over at him kindly after shooting his wife a look to let him handle it.

"Thanks." He nodded at the older man. Then he made his excuses and left. He told Sirius his decision and his godfather patted him on the back.

"I'm sure Hermione can cope for one night." He said consolingly.

"As long as she doesn't try to lead the House-elves on strike or something." Harry sighed. Hermione still rattled on about SPEW at every opportunity. Finally New Years Eve arrived.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: New Year

Harry woke up quite early and really wanted to go back to sleep knowing it would be a late night but he knew he was too awake to actually get back to sleep. He got himself up and had a long, hot shower before getting dressed in his Quidditch robes and fetching his broom. Knowing Sirius and Remus both of them would be dead to the world for a few hours still so he went out and did some drills on his own. Oliver Wood was coming tonight and it could be good to catch up with his old captain. He hoped to be made captain next year as Angelina was leaving and he was hoping for some tips. Both of them made it seem like a stressful job but it was a challenge he would relish. Besides, he knew his father had been Quidditch captain and he wanted to live up to that.

That's how Sirius found him two hours later, still doing seeker drills. He called Harry in for breakfast after watching him for a little while and marvelling at how natural he made flying look. Remus was already at the table when they came in and he smiled at them both.

"Looking forward to this evening?" He asked Harry.

"After the Greengrass ball, I expect it won't be as bad as I first thought it might but I still am not looking forward to all the dancing." He admitted.

"You'll get used to it." Sirius laughed.

"Do I have to?" He whined good-naturedly.

"Yes." Remus told him with a grin. "What time is Neville coming?"

"Neville and Hannah will be here at six and Katie will arrive at half seven all ready for eight." Harry told them. Sirius nodded.

"Well, what do you want to do all day?"

"Can we do some Animagus practise?" He had been practising and found out his form was a Peregrine Falcon but he had so far failed to make any progress with the transformation. Sirius nodded and they went to the duelling room which gave them enough space. They sat down in the middle of the floor and Harry closed his eyes, slipping into his meditative state easily after this much practise. He could hear Sirius calling instructions as if from very far away as he tried to solely focus on turning his left arm into a wing.

When they had found out his form, Sirius had made him write an essay about the form he would have so he knew all about it. Apparently it made controlling the instincts a little easier if you knew what to expect. While he had been at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall had agreed to watch over his attempts after making him promise not to try it without her around. He had agreed easily but got frustrated when nothing happened. He pulled out of the memory and focused as hard as he could before realising maybe he was overthinking it. Then he tried to simply relax and picture himself with the wing for an arm, blotting out everything else. A few minutes later he felt an itching sensation. It was rather like taking polyjuice but without the pain and he opened his eyes just in time to see feathers disappearing from his arm.

"Well done." Sirius beamed.

"It's normal." Harry frowned.

"You did change it but as soon as you lost concentration it changed back. Now you can do it we will work out maintaining your arm as a wing. Harry kept at it for another few hours until he could keep his arm transformed even when he opened his eyes and took his concentration off it. Pleased by his success he wanted to keep going but Sirius pointed out how tired he was getting and said that they would try again in a couple of days. After they left the room Harry realised he really was tired so he grabbed a quick lunch and went to have a nap before getting ready for the ball.

A few hours later he felt a hand shaking his shoulder. He muttered for whoever it was to go away but they only shook him more insistently.

"What?" Harry groaned.

"You need to get ready. Neville and Hannah will be here in half an hour." Remus' voice came from somewhere above him. "Be grateful I didn't let Sirius wake you up. He had a bucket of ice water all ready and waiting." Harry did sit up at that and grinned.

"Better than licking me to death." Remus left and as he was getting up, Harry heard a loud yelp from outside the door followed by a string of curses. Apparently Sirius had been upset Remus wouldn't let him wake Harry up and had lain in wait outside the door to soak Remus. Harry poked his head out and saw a soaking wet Remus glowering at a grinning Sirius who had an empty bucket in his hands. The floor glistened with water and Dobby appeared.

"Master Harry Potter's Paddy is making more mess for Dobby." He scolded Sirius, but he sounded amused.

"Sorry Dobby." Sirius laughed. He then took in Remus' expression and decided it would be safer for his health to run away. The werewolf simply watched him go. When he saw Harry looking at him questionly he grinned.

"I don't plan on chasing him because that's what he expects. If I don't react he will spend the rest of the day nervously expecting my revenge." Harry chuckled.

"Nice." With that he ducked back into his room and went to the bathroom. He had another shower as he had played Quidditch earlier even if he hadn't gotten muddy. Then he selected his dark red robes and pulled them on over his white shirt and black pants. He used the spell to flatten his hair and headed down the stairs. Remus was sitting calmly in the living room and Sirius was nowhere in sight. They discussed some lessons plans for the coming term until it was time for Neville and Hannah to arrive. Harry made his way to the welcoming room just in time. Sirius, it seemed, had been hiding out in there as he was already in position. Harry stood beside him just as the flames flared into life and Neville stepped through. He shook Harry's hand grinning and moved to Sirius just as Hannah came through.

"Hi Hannah." Harry grinned.

"Hey Harry." She smiled in return and once Neville's grandmother came through they all made their way to the living room. They chatted for a little while and then Augusta began to run through the proper protocols as a host. Sirius had gone over them before but it was nice to have a reminder. By half past seven he was feeling more confident as he left the room to go and greet Katie. He was only waiting a minute before she stepped out of the fire. She wore her hair in a fancy updo and her dress robes were an emerald green that suited her very well. She had a simple locket around her neck.

"Katie. You look stunning." Harry grinned, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. I can't believe you managed to tame your hair." She laughed.

"Me either. Sirius had a spell my dad used." Sirius then stepped forward and greeted Katie. She then joined them all in the living room until the other guests were due to arrive. As it drew close to eight they showed Neville, Hannah and Augusta to the ballroom and the others went to form the welcome line. Harry stood closest to the fire with Katie beside him. Sirius was next and then came Remus. Remus had said he shouldn't be in the welcoming line as he was not a lord but Harry had insisted that he lived in the house and therefore was a co-host. When Sirius had backed Harry up he had given in.

The first people through were Susan and Amelia. Harry greeted them both and introduced Katie, suddenly feeling like this part of the evening would never end. Hannah's parents were next followed almost immediately by Oliver Wood. The greeting continued for at least another half an hour but it felt like hours to Harry who was delighted when the final people came through. It was, of course, the Weasleys and Hermione. Ron had brought Lavender Brown as his date and the twins were with the Chasers. Charlie had Tonks on his arm who was being eyed by Mrs Weasley. He assumed they had only just told her they were dating. Instead of letting Harry kiss her hand, Mrs Weasley pulled him into a big hug. He stepped back quickly and turned to greet the next person who happened to be Hermione. She gave him a small smile and then quickly moved on with Mr Weasley.

"Finally." Harry sighed. "Food!" Sirius laughed and shook his head before leading him into the ballroom to announce to the guests it was time for dinner. Harry sat at the head of the table with Katie on his right and Remus on his left. Sirius was sat at the other end of the table. Unlike at the Greengrass's ball there was only one table. The younger generation sat at Harry's end and the adults sat closer to Sirius. Remus had agreed to watch over the younger lot. The food appeared and they all dug in, conversation sparse as they were all hungry.

"So, have you decided what you want to do when you leave?" Harry asked Katie.

"I have a trainee position lined up at St Mungos. They have agreed that I can shadow someone there during the summer and then start official training when I leave Hogwarts provided I get the NEWT grades necessary."

"That's great." He smiled.

"Yeah, I was looking at getting a potions mastery but they are incredibly difficult to get so I settled for St Mungos. I might reconsider in a few years.

"Urgh, voluntarily doing more Potions." Harry pretended to shudder but he was grinning. She laughed and turned to answer Angelina who had asked her a question. Harry looked over at Tonks who was sat next to Remus with Charlie on her other wise and began asking her about her recent exploits as an Auror. She kept him entertained with stories until dessert when Katie reclaimed his attention to talk about the DA. Remus added a comment every now and again on a teaching method or subject.

Once everybody had finished they all moved back to the ballroom. Sirius started up the music.

"Will you do me the honour of a dance?" Harry held out his hand to Katie.

"Of course." She smiled as he led her onto the dance floor. It turned out Katie was a very good dancer and led all their dances. After a while Oliver came up to ask her for a dance and Harry gave his blessing and moved off to find Neville. He was busy dancing with Hannah still, so Harry headed to get drinks for himself and Katie. Ron was there while Lavender begged him to dance.

"No, I hate dancing." He was complaining.

"Why come to a ball then? That's practically the whole point." Lavender pouted.

"Harry's my friend." Ron shrugged.

"You shouldn't have invited me as a date if you weren't going to dance." She pointed out and he finally agreed to one dance. Harry managed to remain unseen incase Ron decided to use him as an excuse to get out of dancing. Soon he was joined by Katie and Oliver.

"How have you been Harry?" He asked as Harry handed Katie a drink.

"Pretty good thanks. Angelina has taken over channeling your spirit as captain." He laughed.

"The girls were telling me." He chuckled. "I thought I would have a word with Weasley and give him a few tips if I see him."

"He'll be glad to get out of dancing." Harry told him. They chatted for a little while until Harry decided he should probably mingle with some of his other guests. He had another dance with Katie before handing her off as Fred asked her to dance. Harry went over to where Daphne was standing.

"Nobody catching your eye then?" She wore a pale blue dress that went well with her pale complexion and blonde hair that hung loose around her shoulders.

"Not really." She replied.

"Would you do me the honour of a dance?" He requested.

"Might as well." He offered his arm and they headed onto the dance floor. Around the room he saw Sirius dancing with Celine Greengrass, Hermione was dancing with Dean Thomas and Susan was dancing with Neville. He tried to make some conversation and Daphne answered politely but all her answers were rather detached. After a couple of dances she thanked him and moved off to dance with Blaise Zabini who had come as the date of Tracey. Harry was about to take a break when Ginny came up and asked for a dance. He couldn't really deny her but he didn't particularly want to. Politeness won out and he agreed to one dance. She didn't say much until he used the DA as a topic they both had in common. He was glad that she could finally actually speak in his presence but he still wasn't totally comfortable around her given the history of hero worship she had often portrayed.

"Lord Potter, may I have this dance?" A voice came from behind him just as the song ended. He turned and saw Astoria Greengrass coming towards him. He agreed gratefully and thanked Ginny for the dance.

"I know it's a formal party but you can just call me Harry." He smiled down at the younger girl who was the spitting image of both her mother and her sister.

"Then please call me Astoria." She grinned in reply.

"Very well then, Astoria. So what electives have you taken this year?"

"Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. I'm not a fan of animals or Divination. People told me Muggle Studies is a joke so they were my only options." She told him.

"I like both of those. I'm doing those as well." She smiled at this and they began having a discussion about the applications of Ancient Runes. They were so involved in talking that they ended up dancing to three songs before realising time had gone so fast. He thanked her and kissed her hand before moving off to find some of his friends. Neville was over by the drinks so he quickly made his way over.

"Hey." Neville greeted, handing him a drink.

"Having fun?"

"Loads. Hannah is great." Neville replied enthusiastically. "She's off dancing with Justin at the minute." He explained in response to Harry's questioning look. The twins came and joined them a few minutes later. Angelina then asked Harry for a dance so he went off again.

He surreptitiously kept an eye on Hermione throughout the evening but she seemed to be behaving herself. He noticed that Mr Weasley was always rather close by and he felt grateful. Other than one attempt to draw Lord Abbott into a conversation, she didn't approach any of the adults other than the Weasleys. Most of the adults had stuck in groups so she couldn't single one out and when she did make a move to Lord Abbott, Remus was there in a flash to ask his opinion about something random. Not many people seemed willing to dance with her so Harry finally decided to go over and offer her one dance. She was surprised by the offer and agreed to one dance. Neither of them spoke much during the dance. She seemed unwilling to open conversation and he didn't have much to say.

"Are you having a nice time?" He asked finally.

"Yes. It's very nice." She smiled slightly. Then Ron came over and asked her for a dance. Harry happily handed her over and went to dance with Tonks. As was his luck he asked her just as a fast song came on and she begun spinning him around the room enthusiastically. Harry did most of the balancing for the two of them while she kept up the pace. He was both very warm and rather exhausted when the song finally finished. Charlie came over to dance with her and grinned at Harry.

"You looked like you two were having fun." He smirked.

"Loads." Harry laughed. After a few more dances with various people he noticed it was finally getting close to midnight so he went to find Katie. She was off dancing with George and when the song finished came to join him for a drink. Once they had both cooled down they had one more dance and then it was time for the countdown. Sirius turned off the music and took up the megaphone to count down. Everyone joined in and as the New Year began there was a loud cheer.

"Happy New Year." He grinned at Katie.

"Happy New Year to you too." She smiled and gave him a swift peck on the lips. Sirius put on the music again announcing this would be the last song of the evening. Harry asked Katie to dance and she smiled at him. Once the evening was over, he repeated the arrival procedure and saw off every guest in turn. They all thanked him for the invite and those he danced with thanked him for that too. He invited Charlie and Tonks to come over in a couple of days with the twins so they could have a game of Quidditch. Both of them eagerly agreed. she was the last to leave, kissing his cheek on her way out.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening." He said.

"You're welcome. Thank you for inviting me."

"That was fun, but I'm so glad it's over." Harry yawned as the flames died down and finally went out. Sirius nodded. He told the elves to leave the mess for tonight and clean it tomorrow then the three of them all headed to bed. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Horcruxes and Memories

Once Sirius had seen Harry safely onto the Hogwarts Express with his friends, he made his way back to Grimmauld Place. He and Bill Weasley had still been unable to work out how to destroy the Slytherin locket safely. It also remained the only horcrux they had been able to find. Sirius suspected Dumbledore knew more but had so far been unwilling to stoop to asking the Headmaster for help. This would be the opening needed for him to regain some kind of control and Sirius was reluctant to allow that. However he and Remus had talked it over the night before and Remus had made some good points. So Sirius took some floo powder and made his way to the Headmaster's office. He stepped out the fire and Dumbledore looked up in surprise.

"Sirius? To what do I owe the pleasure?" He beamed, gesturing for him to sit down.

"What do you know about Voldemort's horcruxes?" Sirius asked bluntly. The wizened face slackened in utter shock before he recovered himself.

"Where on Earth did you learn about Horcruxes dear boy?"

"I'm a Black. My family has forgotten more dark magic than Voldemort ever learned. Now, tell me what you know?"

"Not a great deal I'm afraid. I have been researching but I cannot be sure how many he made. Through the research, I have looked through many memories and can be almost certain of at least four. One has been destroyed though, courtesy of young Harry."

"What are they?"

"I'm not sure this should become public…"

"Who said anything about them becoming public knowledge? Just because somebody other than you knows something does not mean that knowledge will become commonplace. Surely the research would go much quicker with more than just yourself involved?"

"Yes, but the more who know, the more likely Voldemort will get wind of what we are doing." Dumbledore argued.

"What if something happens to you? You are not infallible Dumbledore. Voldemort could have protected these with any number of dark curses. Many of which you will be capable of dealing with, but backup never hurts. If anything were to happen to you then your knowledge will be lost and he may well win." Sirius glared at him across the desk.

"Very well, Sirius. I will show you the memories I have but I am still missing one very important memory. I believe Horace Slughorn holds the key but he will not give it up willingly. Memories are temperamental things and taking it by force will do us no good. I was hoping to bring him back to Hogwarts this year but he refused and then Dolores was appointed."

"Well, I was never a member of his little club so he's unlikely to talk to me." Sirius shrugged.

"I was thinking of Harry actually. Horace never could resist collecting."

"You realise that if you ask this of Harry, you will actually have to tell him about the Horcruxes?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore sighed.

"I do not wish to inform Harry of this but I have no choice. I had hoped to give him a childhood but now that he knows of the prophecy he will dwell on this." He gave Sirius a reproachful look which was ignored.

"Well, you can inform Harry and myself of what is going on in your head and then we can think of a way to speak to Horace." Sirius suggested coolly.

"Of course. If you would both come to my office on Thursday evening we shall discuss more then." Sirius left the office to discuss with Bill Weasley. They had decided not to let Dumbledore know yet another person was involved in the Horcrux hunt until it became unavoidable. Sirius decided that as a curse breaker, Bill was best suited to come with them to find the Horcruxes. He had no doubt Voldemort had put them under the best protection he could muster. Bill also had free access to the library at Grimmauld Place to help in his research about what curses they may face. Once his business was done he returned to Potter Manor to relax. He had meetings with his allies the next afternoon to discuss their approach at the January Wizengamot meeting. They had decided to press on with magical creature regulations but needed to decide on an angle.

Fudge had been marvellously helpful so far. Once Sirius had threatened to remove him as Minister he had been most cooperative. The budget for the DMLE had been increased by at least twice the amount in the last five years combined. New Auror cadets were coming in as Sirius did not find one recruit in the past three years to be anywhere near enough. Tonks was the only person in that time to pass her Auror exams.

Fudge was also to be included in the talks on changing magical creature laws, much to Sirius' distaste. However, he did have to admit that one on their side Fudge had a talent for media spin which could be to their benefit. He did expect a few more threats to force his cooperation however as the laws they proposed to change would probably create widespread horror within pureblood ranks. This would make Fudge nervous about his job again. Sirius really didn't know how Lucius put up with manipulating Fudge for so long, he really was quite tiresome. The house was quiet again as Remus had gone back to Hogwarts the day before Harry to get himself ready for the new term. Sirius wouldn't see his friend in person until the full moon in two weeks time.

The emptiness crept up on him for the first time in a while. Memories of Azkaban had been forced down thanks to having Harry around and finally receiving healing from St Mungos but twelve years of ghosts could not be dispelled quite so quickly. He looked over towards the cabinet that held the firewhisky and groaned in longing. Everything was so much easier when the world was in a haze. He hadn't had a drop since he had first rescued Harry from Privet Drive but before that he would quite regularly down a bottle a night. He was feeling the pressure of trying to find the Horcruxes and keep Harry safe which was hard enough on its own. His mind jumped back to when Harry had told him about the detention with the toad and the fury that had overtaken him. Fury he had channelled into taking her down but that was really aimed at himself. He had still failed to protect his godson. He knew logically that there was absolutely nothing more he could have done but it still burned deep inside him.

On the nights before when his helplessness had bubbled up, Remus had been there to talk him through it but now he was at Hogwarts. This did make Sirius feel slightly better as there was at least one person at Hogwarts who would look out for Harry. That didn't make his own loneliness easier to deal with. His hand stretched out towards the cupboard door when he heard his name being called and jumped. A warm feeling from his pocket told him his mirror was being activated and he pulled it out. Harry's face was there.

"Hey pup." Sirius pulled a smile onto his face. Harry had enough to worry about without causing him more concerns.

"Hey Siri. Miss me yet?" He grinned cheekily and this time Sirius' grin was genuine.

"I don't know what you mean. This big old house all to myself without you and Remus taking all the good seats." He teased.

"Us?" Harry protested. "You curl up as Padfoot and steal the entire couch."

"Well, I never. How could you make such hurtful accusations?" Sirius pouted.

"Because they are true." Harry replied as they both laughed.

"How was the feast?"

"It was good. Hagrid just got back." He beamed. That was news. Sirius assumed there would be an Order meeting called very soon.

"That's wonderful. He must have only just arrived as there hasn't been an Order meeting called yet."

"He did. He came in right in the middle of dinner, but he's covered in bruises. All over his face, it was worrying really." Harry bit his lip.

"He was dealing with giants. That might be why he took so long getting back. What's important to remember is that he is back and still ok. Don't pester him too much." Sirius winked.

"Of course not." Harry snickered. They chatted for a bit longer until Harry yawned and they bade each other goodnight. Sirius put away his mirror, still smiling slightly. With one last look at the cupboard he stood up and marched to his room. Warmth bubbled up inside him and he no longer felt the need to curl up and sleep as Padfoot.

On Thursday afternoon, Harry was just leaving Potions when a small girl came running up to him. She was out of breath and clutching a scroll of parchment. She handed it to him wordlessly and ran off again before he could even thank her. Harry looked after her besmused, until he returned his attention to the parchment.

"It's from Dumbledore. He wants me to go to his office after dinner tonight." Harry frowned in confusion.

"Must be important." Neville noted as he strode with Harry down the corridor. "We can work on that Herbology essay tomorrow night instead."

"Oh yeah, sorry Neville."

"That's ok. Dumbledore wouldn't summon you without good reason. I wonder if Sirius will be there."

"I imagine so." Harry shrugged. "Wonder why he didn't mention it." The two of them made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Fred and George joined them.

"We've done it. Nosebleed Nogart now work perfectly. As do the Decoy Detonators." Fred grinned.

"Nice one guys. Worked it out over christmas?" Harry told them.

"Yeah, we used murtlap essence. Heard Hermione talking about it, just don't tell her she gave us the idea." George muttered. Harry and Neville laughed.

"Don't you think she'd be thrilled about helping you with the Skiving Snackboxes?" Harry snickered. "I've got a meeting with Dumbledore tonight and I promised to work on our Herbology essay with Neville tomorrow, so shall we have our prankster meeting on Saturday after Quidditch?"

"Works for us." Both of them grinned. "When's the next DA meeting?" Fred asked.

"Probably next week one day. I was going to move on to Patronuses." All three of his friends grinned excitedly. They kept talking about planned lessons until the bell sounded and Harry headed off for a free period. He had an Ancient Runes essay that was due on Monday and he wanted to get a good start on it to free up some of his weekend. Their workload had only gotten worse once Christmas was over. Snape had just assigned them so much he would be lucky to finish before he sat his exams and McGonagall had done the same in first period.

In the next hour and a half he managed to finish two of his partly finished essays and make a good start on his Ancient Runes. Happy with his progress he continued to work while others filed into the Common room before heading down to dinner.

After dinner he made his way straight towards Dumbledore's office. He gave the password and the gargoyle sprang out of the way as usual. As he suspected, Sirius was there waiting for him while Dumbledore sat at his desk as always. The two didn't appear to be talking when he opened the door and moved to the seat beside his godfather. Sirius seemed content to just sit and wait while Dumbledore looked far more anxious. Finally he sighed and spoke.

"Harry, I asked you here tonight because I wish to impart some information with yourself and your godfather." Harry ignored the almost silent muttering beside him from Sirius and watched the Headmaster intently wondering why the change of heart. Dumbledore seemed to notice the look. "I wished to wait until you had a proper childhood…"

"Your wait was over years ago. Never had one." Harry said through gritted teeth. Seems the speech hadn't changed.

"However, times have changed. What I have to show both of you is of vital importance." He continued ignoring Harry's comment. He stood and moved over towards his pensive. "I know you are familiar with one of these." He smiled wryly over at Harry who flushed slightly at the reminder of being caught in his Headmaster's pensieve once before. Dumbledore tipped a memory into it. Harry went first followed by the others and they watched as a man named Tiberius Ogden made his trip to the Gaunt House. Harry was startled when Dumbledore pointed out that Morfin Gaunt spoke in parseltongue as he hadn't even realised the others couldn't understand what was being said. Although the gist of it was really rather obvious. Harry made to jump forwards when Marvolo began to strangle his daughter but Sirius held him back reminding him he couldn't do anything in a memory. Ogden sorted it out before making a run for it. Dumbledore explained he had gone for backup. Both Sirius and Harry felt pity for Merope but Sirius also jumped at the mention of the Slytherin locket.

Once they finished discussing that memory, Dumbledore tipped in a second and all three of them dipped inside. Harry watched in fascination as a much younger Dumbledore paid a visit to a muggle orphanage and met an eleven year old Tom Riddle. The whole interaction gave Harry the creeps, especially the way Riddle seemed so proud of his control over his powers and his ability to use them to punish others.

Once they were out of the pensive, Dumbledore pointed out how eager Riddle was to believe he was special and how he prefered to operate alone even that young. Both Sirius and Dumbledore made sure he noted how important it was that he had liked to collect prizes and trophies of his bullying behaviour. Once they had seen that memory too, they had a discussion about Horcruxes and how many Voldemort had made. Dumbledore explained that a man named Horace Slughorn was most likely to hold the answer as he had given Dumbledore a false memory about the time Riddle questioned him. Dumbledore said he had a few more memories which pointed to certain items that were most likely to have been used, but without the final number they didn't know what they were working with.

"What's this got to do with me?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Well, Slughorn was known in school for being a collector. He liked to get 'in' with those he felt were most likely to become famous or have influence." Sirius explained and Harry saw the look of distaste in his expression. "He tried to collect me in the beginning as he was head of Slytherin and I was the only Black not in Slytherin but soon lost interest. Once I made it clear I wanted to do nothing but play pranks he gave up and never bothered with me since." He shrugged.

"You think he would want to collect me?" Harry groaned.

"No doubt about it, he would." Sirius told him bluntly. "However, you can decide whether you want to meet him or not. This isn't going to be as easy as introduce you two and ask him for the memory. If you'd rather not then Dumbledore and I will find an alternative method."

"How will he collect me if I only meet him once?" Harry frowned.

"Well, I had planned on inviting him back onto the staff but our staffing issues have now been resolved." Dumbledore sighed, as if having a full complement of staff annoyed him.

"Slughorn wouldn't come back for anything except Potions would he? Well, he'd be much more popular than Snape." Sirius suggested.

"I can't simply get rid of Severus." Dumbledore told him pointedly.

"I can hope." Sirius shrugged and Harry bit his lip to hide a snort of laughter. "The only other position Snape would teach is Defence and I want Remus here."

"What if he took over from Professor Binns? Harry suggested. "Everybody would love not having a ghost to teach us." Sirius seemed to consider the idea.

"Remus would probably go for being a History teacher. Snivellus could teach Defence. Maybe once he has his dream job he can stop being such a git to everyone."

"Sirius." Dumbledore sighed.

"Besides, Defence teachers only seem to last a year round here, even less this time, I'd rather Remus stayed in the castle."

"Severus cannot afford to leave."

"Well, just tell Slughorn to come back for a year then after that Snape can go back to teaching Potions. You'll just be left looking for a Defence teacher in a couple of years but you've had that problem before." He suggested. "Hopefully we can kill off Riddle in that time and Snape really can leave." Sirius added hopefully.

"I will consider the matter. No changes will be made until next school year anyway." Dumbledore said finally.

"Wonderful." Sirius said dryly.

"As for now, I think it is late enough. We can continue this at a later date. Until we have Horace's memory I don't have much to show you."

"It's a start. We will come back two weeks from today." Sirius nodded. Dumbledore agreed and bade them both goodnight. Sirius walked Harry back to Gryffindor Tower. They spoke of small things like the upcoming Quidditch game against Hufflepuff as they did not want to be overheard. As it was late, Harry promised to call Sirius on the mirror the next evening and they hugged each other goodbye. As the Portrait hole closer, Sirius took a deep breath. Then he made his way down to Remus' quarters.

"How did it go?" Remus asked him as Sirius took a sea on the couch by the fireplace.

"Quite well. He showed us Riddle's childhood. No wonder he's screwed up the family he came from. I knew they were mental but seeing it is something else." He grimaced. "He reckons we can't get any more information than what he currently has without Slughorn."

"Horace? What could he possibly know?"

"He taught Riddle. Riddle was one of the Slug Club."

"I bet Lily is rolling in her grave knowing that." Remus shuddered. "He's not going to be easy to convince if he is hiding something about Riddle."

"Well, Dumbledore wants to bring him back to Hogwarts and use Harry to convince him to give up the memory. I don't think Harry is too convinced by the idea but seems willing to try. However that means there will be a teaching issue."

"Slughorn would teach Potions and I assume Severus would take my place?" Remus sighed.

"That would obviously be Dumbledore's plan. With the supposed curse on the Defence job it would make sense. Nobody has lasted longer than a year in decades. Hopefully if it works out that way the curse can take care of Snape." Sirius grinned. "Either way, if it does come to that, I would suggest that Dumbledore finally get rid of Binns and you teach History of Magic. What do you think?"

"If it would let me remain teaching then I would gladly accept the position." Remus said cautiously.

"Not thrilled by the idea?" Sirius laughed.

"Not particularly. History would be much more boring to teach than Defence." Remus laughed. "However it would be a job. I can't afford to turn those down and I like teaching."

"I knew you were weird. Well, I will fight for you should it come to that position. Dumbledore won't decide anything until the end of the school year anyway. If I take the proposal to the school board, I'm sure they would be pleased with the idea. Nobody likes Binns and they will have all been taught by him." Remus nodded. They stayed up talking for a couple more hours until Sirius ended up sleeping on the couch.

In the morning, Remus sent a patronus message to Harry to come to his quarters and the three of them had breakfast together. They laughed and joked before Harry had to set off to his lessons. Sirius also took his leave as Remus had a class to teach.

"You should come up and have dinner here at least once a week Padfoot." Remus suggested on his way out. "I'm sure you could use the company." It wasn't really a question and Sirius made no attempts to deny it.

"That would be great. How about Friday nights? That way you and Harry don't have classes the next day." Remus nodded and they hugged before departing. Sirius had a meeting with Bill to catch him up on what Dumbledore had told him the night before. They made a list of places Riddle had been to when he was younger. The list was small fow now, but Sirius assumed it would grow as Dumbledore showed them more memories. Bill agreed to check out the Gaunt cottage while Sirius tried to dig up records on the orphanage Riddle had attended.

Over the next few days the duo kept up their research. Sirius recalled what Harry had told him about destroying the diary and realised the Sword of Gryffindor could be used to get rid of the locket. He would have to bring it up next time they saw Dumbledore. He wondered if Riddle would feel the destruction of a portion of his soul now that he had his body back. Bill had to work around his hours at the bank but managed to report back that he figured there was definitely something at the Gaunt cottage. He hadn't been able to get close in the time frame he had but the place was warded to the hilt and covered in dark magic. Sirius definitely had plenty to discuss at the next meeting with Dumbledore. He considered the idea that it may be best to leave the Horcrux in the Gaunt cottage until they knew exactly how many they were dealing with. If Riddle found out they were onto him before they could get them all, he may make more. Sirius leant back from his desk with a groan and looked at the time. It was almost one in the morning. Time he headed to bed.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Breakout

The second Quidditch game of the season for Gryffindor was rapidly approaching. Angelina was working the team just as hard as Wood used to. Practise was three nights a week. Harry also had Friday nights booked up as family night with Remus and Sirius. The three of them would sit and eat dinner in Remus' quarters and then spend the evening talking about the Marauder's time in school or the latest pranks that the twins had come up with. Both adults were very helpful when Harry told them about a problem they were having with some sweet developments. In fact at the rate things were progressing Harry would be helping the twins set up and open their shop over the summer.

The DA had settled on Wednesday nights as their set night as they no longer needed to be secret and change times. After Christmas, Daphne had brought Theodore Nott along with Tracy and her sister to meetings. Astoria Greengrass had also brought a couple of her friends and the Slytherin contingent of the meeting was now almost as large as the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw groups. As younger students had decided they also wanted to turn up, Harry and Neville had agreed to split the group. The room accommodated and now on one week Neville would teach the younger students and Harry the older group and then they would swap the next week.

This didn't give Harry much time for his homework which had begun to pile up at an alarming rate. Then it was decided that DA meetings would become two hours long instead of one and they would all do some homework in the second hour. This allowed the older students to help some of the younger ones and all those with exams to get some work done.

January began to melt into February. The weather got no warmer and frost still covered the grounds every morning. Harry woke on Saturday morning and headed down to breakfast. Today was the match against Hufflepuff. When he strode into the Great Hall he saw that the rest of the team minus Ron were already eating. He had decided it was safer to let Ron get an extra bit of sleep. Angelina was silent but the other members of the team were chatting quietly. Finally Ron appeared and Angelina ushered them all out to the pitch as soon as he had eaten. It was chilly but cloudy so they didn't have to deal with the harsh winter sun in their eyes. As they saw people heading out towards the pitch, they all trudged into the changing rooms.

"A win today puts us in first place. Prime position to win the Quidditch cup." Angelina said once they were all in their Quidditch gear. "So, just remember all we have been practising and we will win!" Everyone cheered and they started out onto the pitch. Angelina shook hands with the Hufflepuff captain and Madam Hooch gave them the warning about playing a clean game.

Harry kicked off from the frozen ground and sped straight up, loving the feeling of wind rushing through his hair. Keeping his eyes peeled for the snitch, he did a few laps of the pitch to keep warm. Lee Jordan was commentating with the occasional comment from McGonagall telling him off for inappropriate commentary. After half an hour Gryffindor were losing 60-80. Ron was rapidly losing confidence and there had been no sign of the snitch.

Slytherin had started up the chant Weasley is our King and Harry could see his friend growing ever more nervous. Goals from Katie and Alicia pulled them back even just as Harry spotted the snitch hovering at the foot of the Hufflepuff goalposts. He shot off with the Hufflepuff seeker quickly on his tail. His superior broom gave him a rather large lead but a well placed bludger forced him off track and in that time the snitch had moved closer to the Hufflepuff seeker. Harry was forced to make a 180 degree turn. It was hovering half way between them now and as they raced towards it both bludgers appeared, one towards each seeker. Harry used the Sloth Grip Roll to avoid his but the Hufflepuff wasn't so lucky. It smashed into his arm and he was forced off track. In the commotion Harry plucked the snitch out of the air and Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

The whole team flew over to congratulate Harry, all except Ron who just went straight back to the ground. By the time the rest of the team got down, he was already in the changing rooms and heading off to the showers. Harry tried to talk to him but he was already out of hearing range. Harry had been hoping that winning the game would help him get over his poor performance but apparently not. Angelina came over and asked if Harry would talk to him. He agreed and marched off to the showers.

Sirius sat at his desk with Bill Weasley across from him. They were discussing the possible Horcrux at the Gaunt cottage. Bill was sure that if it wasn't a Horcrux then there was definitely something important hidden there. He had managed to identify many of the curses used and none of them were pretty. Some of them were your average muggle repelling charms and such like but there were plenty he had only seen in the darkest Egyptian tomb.

"The question is do we remove it now or wait until we know where the others are?" Sirius was saying. "If he realises we know he has Horcruxes he will either move the others or put even more protections around them. Not to mention until we speak to Horace there is something we are missing."

"Given that we know we have to wait until next school year to approach Horace it may well be best to leave it where it is." Bill replied, looking uneasy. "However, I'd rather get rid of as many as we can before he comes out into the open."

"We will make an attempt to take it during the Easter holidays then. That way Dumbledore can leave the school without being noticed. The more of us, the better." Sirius decided. "Have you had any luck researching artifacts of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?" He asked.

"As far as I can see, the sword is the only artifact of Godric Gryffindor. We know that is not a Horcrux. As for Ravenclaw, the only thing I can find is a legend about a Diadem. However, it was deemed lost shortly after Rowena died." He shrugged.

"What about talking to the Ravenclaw ghost? James and I spent loads of our time at Hogwarts befriending the ghosts. They know lots of stuff. Although, we never actually got a single word out of the Grey Lady. Nick told us she has barely spoken a word since she became a ghost."

"It's worth a try, but no guarantee that she would say anything even if she did know where it is. We are talking about destroying an ancient artifact from her House." Bill frowned.

"I'll speak to Harry about it. I'm hoping if I can give him safe yet important tasks to help in the Horcrux hunt he will be able to feel like he is doing something without feeling the need to go off risking his life." Sirius sighed.

"Good plan, but from what I've heard he will still want to go on all the dangerous missions too." Bill laughed lightly. Sirius acknowledged the truth in those words unhappily. "How did it go in the Wizengamot meeting?"

"Quite well actually. We managed to get the law that Umbridge introduced that stops werewolves getting a job repealed. A new Committee within the Magical Creatures department has been set up to look into the potential amount of wolfsbane that would be needed if all werewolves got a job. Obviously not all of them will but better to overestimate than underestimate. They will present their findings at the next meeting. From there we will work out a law that allows werewolves to get a job if they can prove that they are taking wolfsbane. Harry has decided he wants to fund the development of a wolfsbane that can prevent at least some of the pain of a transformation. I have hired some Potions Masters to look into it on his behalf. As it is werewolves will be able to buy wolfsbane much cheaper than before as Harry also had his account manager buy all companies that produce Wolfsbane potion and is supplying it as cheaply as possible."

"Wow, when that kid wants something done, he certainly does a proper job." Bill whistled.

"Yeah, he hasn't told Remus yet, wants it to be a surprise. His birthday is in March and Harry has decided to give him a permanent, free supply of Wolfsbane potion as he doesn't trust Severus to make it." They continued talking for a while until it passed midnight and they both said goodnight. Sirius had spent the night in Remus' quarters at Hogwarts and that morning watching Harry's Quidditch game. Finally back at the manor, he collapsed into bed quite happily.

His sleep was disturbed by an owl pecking at his head. Sitting up blearily, Sirius grabbed the owl and noted it was covered in ash as if someone had sent it through the fireplace. Must be important then. He opened it and read the letter inside. His eyes widened and he cursed loudly before pulling on his 'Lord Black' robes and dashing down the stairs to the floo. As he arrived at the Ministry, Fudge and Amelia were already there, waiting for him.

"Sorry for the late hour Sirius, but it was urgent." Fudge apologised.

"No worries, Cornelius. How did this happen?" Sirius asked urgently.

"The Dementors have joined _him._ Azkaban was attacked about an hour ago. So far we have established that at least five key Death Eaters were rescued, possibly more." Amelia told him, looking grave.

"Damn! I thought you were increasing the human Auror contingent on Azkaban?" Sirius asked.

"We were, but we have only got new recruits, still in training. I was going to post them there once they were full Aurors as our force was spread thin enough as it was. Besides, Voldemort himself was at the attack" She informed him. Fudge flinched horribly at her use of the name and Sirius just cursed louder.

"We need to issue a press report." Sirius sighed.

"You should know, Bellatrix was one of those who has definitely escaped." Amelia told him softly.

"I'll warn Augusta ahead of this morning's news." Sirius nodded, ignoring the sympathy that was written all over her face.

"I need to round up some Aurors to take over guarding Azkaban. With the Dementors gone we have no choice but to spread our forces even thinner. It's a good job we have already started recruiting to expand the force. I've got Mad-eye to put them all through a shorter course."

"He agreed to that?" Sirius raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Not at first. However, he eventually saw the need. He is one of the best Aurors we ever produced. Scrimgeour wasn't happy I did it without consulting him but he would much rather have them all go through the full three year course that we no longer have time for." Amelia sighed heavily. "Once this is all over they can go back and take the official exams if required but this war could well give them all the experience they will need."

"I imagine it will." Sirius agreed. "What do you need me to do?"

"Firstly, work with Cornelius on what to say to the Prophet for the morning news and then let Augusta know. I will send you a list of those who escaped once we know all of them." Amelia told him. He nodded. She set off to head to Azkaban and Sirius followed Fudge up to his office. It took them over an hour to come up with something appropriate, during which time Amelia had sent them the full list of escapees. The total was six as the increased force of Aurors had managed to kill a couple before being completely overwhelmed. Still, that was six powerful witches and wizards back at Voldemort's side, including Bellatrix Lestrange. Once he was done with Fudge, he made his way back to the Atrium and flooed to the Longbottom Manor. To his surprise Augusta was still awake and in the midst of some papers when the House-Elf led him to her office.

"What brings you at such a late hour, Sirius?" She asked in confusion.

"There has been an attack at Azkaban. Six high security prisoners have escaped and I thought I would let you know before seeing the Prophet." Her face went pale and her lips thinned in fury.

"I assume this means the bitch has escaped." Her voice was full of tightly controlled emotion and Sirius nodded. "Thank you for informing me ahead of time." He nodded again. They spoke for a few more minutes as he gave her some more of the details but she soon wished to be alone, asking if he would speak to Harry about informing Neville. He agreed.

It was past three in the morning before he finally got back to bed. Sirius set his alarm for four hours time so that he could mirror call Harry before breakfast. As soon as that was done, he let sleep claim him once more. In the morning he gave his godson the news. He promised to pass it along to Neville and agreed to speak to the Grey Lady about the Diadem but that was the end of the brief conversation. They had spoken the night before as well as spent the whole evening together on Friday so there wasn't much to say. Sirius then mirror called Remus to let him know about the breakout as well as the information about the Diadem.

"I'm not surprised one of his first open moves has been to get his loyal followers back." Remus sighed. "Does this change your plans for the Horcruxes?"

"No. Bill and I agreed to get the one we think is at Gaunt cottage during the Easter holidays. If we can destroy that one and make progress with something from Ravenclaw, that's good." Sirius gave a weary smile.

"How many of these has he made?"

"Far too many. We don't have an exact number yet."

"I take it that is what Dumbledore is hoping to get from Slughorn's memory? I can't see Riddle using anything of Slughorn's to make a Horcrux. There isn't much else we need to know." Remus pondered. Sirius shrugged. They said their goodbyes as Remus had to get some marking done and Sirius fell back onto the bed to get some more sleep. It had been a long night.

Harry pulled Neville aside on their way down to breakfast. He told him everything Sirius had told him that morning about the breakout. Neville looked shaken but determined. Harry promised to stick by him. Apparently the crimes of each escapee would be in the paper, including the torture of Neville's parents. Neville smiled at him for the support and they made their way down to the Great Hall. Those who had already seen the morning headline were whispering and pointing. The Weasley twins came over to help shield Neville from the majority of it.

After breakfast, Harry moved over towards the Ravenclaw table and asked to talk to Luna when she had finished eating. She immediately stood up and followed him out of the Hall.

"I was wondering if you know where I could find the Grey Lady?" He asked her.

"She is usually up by the Astronomy tower or in Ravenclaw tower. Would you like me to check Ravenclaw tower?" Luna offered.

"Yes please." Harry smiled gratefully. They headed up the marble staircase together. Eventually they tracked the ghost to one of the classrooms near the Astronomy tower. Luna bade him farewell and he thanked her. Harry approached the ghost warily.

"You are the Grey Lady aren't you?" He asked quietly. She ignored this and made to glide out of the room. "No! Wait, please." She stopped but did not look at him.

"I don't answer to that name." She said stiffly.

"Then, may I ask your proper name?" Harry asked hesitantly. She stared at him for a minute, frowning slightly.

"I am Helena Ravenclaw."

"The daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw." He guessed.

"I see you are friends with Luna Lovegood. She comes to talk to me sometimes."

"Luna's good like that." Harry agreed. "She thought you might be able to help me with something." She gave no reply. "I believe Voldemort might have found your mother's Diadem and turned it into…" He trailed off as her expression turned to one of fury.

"I know what he did to it!"

"Then you know where it is?" He asked eagerly.

"No." She replied, withdrawing back into herself.

"Please, tell me what you know. We can't ever stop him unless you tell me." Harry pleaded. She had just confirmed it was a Horcrux. Finding it became vital. Helena seemed to ponder this.

"I cannot." She replied finally.

"Please! You've heard the things he has done, seen him walk through this school. We must stop him and we need the Diadem to do it."

"I...I stole it from my mother." Helena admitted after another few minutes of silence. Harry sucked in a breath but did not interrupt her. "I ran away with it to the forest of Albania. My mother sent a man after me, he found me and when I would not return with him, killed me. Seeing what he had done drove him to kill himself and now he must wear chains for all eternity for his crimes."

"You told this story to Riddle?" Harry confirmed. She nodded.

"That is all I can tell you. I do not know where he hid it." He nodded, thanked her and ran back to his dormitory to grab the mirror. He called Sirius' name and his godfather appeared a few seconds later. Harry explained what he had found out and Sirius grinned up at him.

"Well done pup. That's very useful. I'll let Bill know and we can come up with some plan to search for the thing."

"That won't be easy. The only description we have is a forest in Albania and he may not have even hidden one there." Harry grimaced. Sirius agreed but told him not to give up hope. It was still another Horcrux that they knew about. They chatted for a little while longer before Harry bade him goodbye. He had a lot of homework to get started on. This side of Christmas was becoming horribly packed. Thankfully, with the Quidditch match now over, Angelina would ease up a little on the practises. She did have NEWTs to study for too, not that it had ever bothered Oliver.

He found Neville in the common room waiting for him so they could start on their Herbology essay together that was due the next day. Ron was moaning about the workload as he had three essays due the next day of which he had done none. Hermione was scolding him for leaving it so late so Harry suggested to Neville that they move to the Library where it would be quieter. He agreed so they made their way down and met Susan who was already there with Ernie. The four of them worked quietly and productively. Harry was very glad he had free periods to study Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Both teachers set him essays each week but the workload was much lighter than any other subject so it gave him time to do other work as well. He had now caught up to where his classmates were in the fifth year material.

His second biggest concern was that the next weekend brought Valentine's day. He had already had quite a few offers to go to Hogsmeade, all of which he had declined. Neville and Ron both laughed at his problem, telling him to just accept one and the rest would leave him alone. He considered asking Katie again but heard she was going with someone in her year.

"The price of being a famous Lord, Harry." Neville laughed when yet another girl came up to ask him out. Harry scowled at him. Finally they finished all the work they were going to get done that evening and returned to the common room. Fred and George cornered him for some ideas for the shop and it was late by the time he finally stumbled into bed. He didn't call Sirius as they had spoken earlier and simply fell straight asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The Gaunt House

Harry woke the next morning and made his way down to breakfast. Neville was already there and they chatted until the rest of their year mates joined them. First lesson was Herbology and it passed quickly enough. Then he had a free period and had to hand in his essay for Ancient Runes. The day passed and the weekend arrived. Harry told the others he was skipping the Hogsmeade visit to do some homework. He made a request of Neville to grab him some things from Honeydukes and gave him some money to do so. The others all left and Harry enjoyed the much quieter common room until Dennis Creevey came over to speak to him as Colin was in Hogsmeade. Harry then made his excuses and slipped out away from the younger boy.

At a loss for what to do, he made his way to the Library. There he found Daphne Greengrass studying alone among the back shelves.

"You mind if I join you?" Harry asked. She looked up at him and gave him a cold smile and a nod. He sat down and looked over at her work which was Ancient Runes. They worked in silence for a while until she looked up at him.

"Do you know the alternative translation of this rune?" She asked, pointing at one in the book she was pouring over. He examined it and told her what it meant. Thanking him they went back into silence. Then he asked pulled out his Potions essay. She looked over and was clearly reading it upside down. Then she pointed out a mistake he had made with cool amusement.

"Thanks." He smiled at her, far to used to her attitude to be bothered by it. She nodded and then they began to work together on the essay. He showed her his mother's journal he had been using for reference and was was delighted by the added information. "So how come you aren't in Hogsmeade?" He asked after a while.

"I've been many times before and I need nothing in particular from there today." She explained. He nodded. "Why aren't you off causing trouble with the twins?"

"They both have dates." He shrugged.

"The famous Potter doesn't have a date?" Now she looked even more amused.

"The famous Potter does not want a date." He shot back. "All the girls that asked me don't even know me. They just want to go on a date with 'famous Harry Potter' and I have no interest in that."

"Yes, you've never been one for using the perks of your famousness." She noted.

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"One should always use any advantage possible."

"How very Slytherin."

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Both of them smiled slightly at her use of his comment.

"Not at all. I was almost placed in Slytherin by the Sorting Hat." He confessed knowing that this would not be considered a bad thing by Daphne as it would be by someone like Ron. She looked surprised.

"Really? Now that would have caused a stir indeed."

"Yeah and Snape would have murdered me before the first week was up as my Head of House." Harry snorted. She nodded, amused.

"Why did it decide Slytherin was not for you?"

"I asked not to go into Slytherin. Hagrid, who gave me my Hogwarts letter, told me that all evil wizards came from Slytherin...I know better now." He added quickly at the look on her face. "However combine that with the fact that the first wizard I met who was my own age was Draco Malfoy and I was not exactly endeared to Slytherin."

"Fair enough I suppose. I can see how Malfoy would put you off." Daphne agreed lightly. "I think it better for you to be in Gryffindor though. Imagine the business about you being the Heir of Slytherin if you were actually in Slytherin." Harry shuddered at the very idea. They continued chatting while finishing the Potions essay. Finally they realised that it was dinner time and packed away their things. They made their way down to dinner together and there were many mutterings as the two entered the Great Hall at the same time, chatting amiably. Some of the DA were used to Gryffindors and Slytherins interacting but to the rest of the school it was still something taboo. Harry bade her good evening and made his way to sit between Neville and Fred.

"Hey, Harry." Neville greeted, handing him a bag full of his requests.

"Thanks Nev. Good day?" He asked while digging into the plates full of food.

"Yeah, it was really good." Neville flushed a little. Harry raised an eyebrow but Neville refused to say anything more, he simply smiled happily. Fred turned to Harry and they began discussing some of the advice the Marauders had given them in regards to their products. George was sat opposite them with Lee Jordan and they joined in eagerly. The twins confessed in undertones that they had bought a property in Diagon Alley already.

"We are only staying her because mum would have a fit if we left early. We figure she has enough going on with the Prat so we don't want to worry her." George told Harry.

"It's not like we actually need NEWTs to open our own store." Fred shrugged. "I'm sure she will be horrified by our grades but we have spent most of this year gathering marketing information and perfecting our products."

"Have you found a place to live or will you stay at the Burrow?" Harry asked.

"The place we bought has a flat over it." George told him. "We couldn't work out of the Burrow no matter how much we love home." Harry nodded. "It's a big flat and with a little magic we have managed to fit in three bedrooms. So, if you ever need a place to stay, you're welcome with us." He continued, looking at Harry.

"We know you have plenty of properties as Lord Potter and will probably never need it, but the room if yours if you ever have need of it." Fred smiled at him. It was one of the first smiles Harry had ever seen on the twins that was genuine but with no mischief twinkling in the blue eyes. Harry was stunned and silent for a few moments.

"Thanks guys." He managed to stutter out. Both twins grinned at him and he grinned back gratefully. They finished up at dinner and made their way back to the Common room. Having gotten most of his work done earlier. Harry elected to have an evening off and ended up joining the twins and Lee in an Exploding Snap tournament which Fred won. Then he made his way up to bed to call Sirius. His godfather was pleased to hear from him and they chatted for a good hour before Harry bade goodnight to him and fell asleep.

February seemed to speed by and the Easter holidays were rapidly approaching. Harry was aware of the plan to remove the horcrux from the Gaunt house during the holiday. He had spent many hours pleading with Sirius to be allowed to go but his Godfather stood firm. He continually told him that between himself, Bill and Dumbledore they would be able to cope with anything Riddle could put in their way. Having Harry there would just cause them to be more concerned about keeping him safe than focusing on the task at hand. Harry didn't like it but couldn't argue with his logic.

The next weeks were busy and Remus' birthday approached. Harry and Sirius had agreed to throw him a party on the Friday evening as his actual birthday fell on a Thursday. Harry had spoken to the twins who were also coming to the party. He was pleased when Sirius informed him that Tonks would be coming, along with Bill and Charlie Weasley. Apparently Charlie was in the country visiting Tonks and so had been invited to come.

On the Friday, Harry had Defence Against the Dark Arts with Remus and had been tasked with keeping him busy enough while the others got ready in Remus' quarters. For this, Harry had gotten into a debate with Hermione on the subject of House Elves and as he suspected, she wanted to ask Remus' opinion on the matter. The three of them had an enjoyable debate until Remus excused himself and Harry as they were expecting Sirius for dinner. Hermione looked very disappointed that they hadn't agreed with her point of view but let the matter slide as she made her way down to the Great Hall. Harry and Remus made their way back to his quarters and when Remus opened the door the room was dark.

"What…?" He started, confused.

"Happy birthday!" Came a loud cry as the lights were magically turned back on and the crowd of people grinned at the shocked werewolf. Normally he could tell when Sirius was planning something, so for him to be able to organise all this without even a suspicion reaching Remus, had led the werewolf to be genuinely surprised. He whirled around to look at a smirking Harry and narrowed his eyes. However, he was clearly very touched.

"How did you manage this?" He questioned Sirius.

"Harry can be pretty sneaky when he wants to be." Sirius laughed as he ushered his friend inside. Everybody came over and wished Remus a happy birthday. Extra chairs had been conjured for the occasion and people began to take their seats and pushed presents over towards him. Remus was overwhelmed but set about opening them. Sirius had gotten his friend some rare books that Remus would never have been able to afford for himself, even working at Hogwarts. He gave Sirius a look that meant he shouldn't have spent so much money but the effect was ruined by the excitement rolling off him in waves. Tonks had given him a Honeydukes hamper of chocolate which made him smirk happily.

"Well that will last him for a day or two." Sirius laughed. Remus flushed but didn't deny it to the amusement of all gathered. Bill had given him some useful books on curse-breaking. The twins had given him a box full of their more useful products such as the Decoy Detonators and the Peruvian Instant Darkness powder they had begun ordering in to study it and try to improve it. He gave them an appreciative grin which they returned. He then turned to Harry who was presenting him with an envelope. He raised an eyebrow and took it. Opening it, he scanned the parchment and was suddenly glad he was sitting down otherwise he may well have fallen over.

"Harry…" He said, his voice hoarse. "This is too much."

"No. It's exactly right." He smiled gently. He had given Remus the Wolfsbane business as his own. The parchment had been the deed for the business already in Remus' name. Not only would he be the owner of the business, it would give him free access to Wolfsbane himself. Remus just got up and moved over to Harry, pulling him into a bear hug. They stayed like that for a good few minutes until Remus broke away to brush his suspiciously watery eyes. To draw the attention away from them, Sirius announced that food was ready. Dobby had pulled through and there was a huge feast on the kitchen table for people to help themselves to. The four Weasleys all dived for the food eagerly. Tonks followed, shaking her head at them while laughing. Sirius hugged Remus and then ushered him after the others.

They talked and played games for another couple of hours until it got rather close to curfew. Remus wrote them all notes in case they got caught by other teachers. Sirius would be spending the night with Remus but everyone else said their goodbyes. Tonks ruffled Harry's hair, telling him to write more often while Charlie gave him a grin and the two disappeared through the floo together. Bill gave Harry a quick hug before leaving. Harry and the twins made their way back to Gryffindor tower without meeting a single soul. They all headed straight to bed.

With Remus' birthday gone, the next thing Sirius had to prepare for was the Wizengamot meeting on the 1st of April before the Easter holidays and the assault on Gaunt House. The meeting would be important as the findings were going to be presented about the Wolfsbane requirements. Sirius would also be announcing how much Harry will be donating into the fund which should help them amend the laws so that werewolves lives should be much easier. He was also going to bring up extra wards around Azkaban given that the Dementors had gone over to Voldemort. As the Dark Lord himself had been spotted at the attack, it was time for the country to step up its preparations.

In the end the meeting was incredibly eventful. Sirius had to hand it to Fudge, he really could spin a story when he wanted to. Laws had been passed that made it illegal to discriminate against werewolves for jobs if they could prove they had access to Wolfsbane. A werewolf could still be executed for committing a crime during the full moon but when it was not a full moon they would now have the right to be tried as any other witch or wizard. The Wizengamot had also decided to approach Gringotts about paying them to put up wards around Azkaban. The Auror force on the island had been tripled but those Aurors were really needed out in the field, so proper wards would allow the force to be reduced slightly. If the wards around Azkaban were a success Sirius would make sure there was talk about putting them up around the Ministry too.

That had taken up most of the meeting. There were a few final bits about department reshuffling hadn't interested him. It had run on for far longer than he had hoped and he was running late to meet Bill for some last minute planning about the next day. They would be leaving quite early and Dumbledore would meet them there.

The next morning, Sirius awoke to his alarm going off at 5am. He yawned and found Bill already in the Potter Manor kitchen making a pot of coffee. Sirius grabbed himself a cup and sat down heavily. Dobby popped a plate of food in front of him and he dug in eagerly. Bill joined him.

"Why did we agree to do this so early?" Sirius yawned.

"Because we want less chance of anyone seeing us." Bill reminded him, looking far more awake that Sirius thought he had any right to be. The duo finished up breakfast and flooed to Grimmauld Place. From there they would apparate to nearby the Gaunt House. Bill gripped Sirius to lead him by side along apparition as he was the only one of the two who had previously been to the house. When they arrived at the agreed place, Dumbledore was already waiting for them. It was a cold, crisp morning with a light mist around, the sun was becoming visible on the horizon but not providing much light yet.

"Good morning." He greeted them serenely. Sirius grunted and Bill returned the greeting. The trio made their way down the road and the Gaunt house emerged out of the early morning mist, a dark shadow that looking incredibly uninviting. Bill went first, wand out and already waving in complicated patterns. He easily dismantled the tame wards like the muggle-repelling one and the notice-me-not charm.

"Well that's all the relatively nice charms and spells removed. Now we just have the nasty stuff left." He informed them cheerfully. Now Dumbledore stepped forwards beside Bill and also began casting spells that Sirius did not know. It took over half an hour for the two men to take down the spells around the outside of the house. Dumbledore announced it clear and the three of them made their to the front door. It swung open with a loud creak that echoed in the silent air around them. There was a loud hiss and a snake became visible in the dim light. They all stepped back instinctively.

"It's not Nagini." Dumbledore murmured. Sirius was not much comforted. Bill casting a banishing charm but the snake did nothing but hiss angrily, moving towards them. Sirius then tried a sleeping spell and the hissing died down.

"Nice one." Bill commented quietly. "This makes things difficult, I don't want to wake it up and find out if it is poisonous or not."

"We can do this quietly." Sirius assured him. They made their way carefully into the house. Sirius lit his wand and looked around. It was covered in a thick layer of dust. The only area disturbed was the line that the snake had made. Old pots and pans were scattered around and a half rotted table stood in the middle of the room next to a moth eaten armchair. Bill cast another spell and moved in the direction of the left hand door. Dumbledore and Sirius followed close behind. Once again the door opened easily but this one made no noise as it did so. Dumbledore moved past Bill and quickly waved his wand around. He moved towards the bed. Sirius felt something in the back of his mind, telling him to move forwards. Startled he looked around at the others who were both staring at the bed intently. The three of them moved forwards at the same time.

"What's going on?" Sirius whispered.

"Compulsion charm." Bill muttered back as he shook his head to clear it. Dumbledore found it easier to shake off than Sirius due to his lack of Occlumency practise. Bill had seemed barely affected at all. Another twenty minutes of curse breaking allowed them to move the bed out of the way and below, lying on the rotting floorboards was a small box. Dumbledore moved in to pick it up and he stood, opening the box. Inside sat a familiar looking ring. Sirius recognised it as the ring Gaunt had been wearing in the memory Dumbledore had shown him. No sooner had he recognised it than the compulsion fell back on him with far greater weight than before. Time seemed to stand still as a voice was screaming in his head to put the ring on. He lunged forwards, preparing to wrestle it from Dumbledore when he slammed into Bill. The oldest Weasley had stepped in front of him and grabbed the box. Dumbledore looked enraged by this and made to curse Bill. Immediately Bill slammed the box shut and threw it out of the open window. As soon as the box shut, Sirius felt the compulsion lessen to a quiet whisper he could ignore and he shook his head.

"What the hell?" He burst out.

"That was one damn strong compulsion spell." Bill noted in awe. Dumbledore hadn't moved from his position, wand still poised to cast a spell. "I'll go get the box and remove that curse." He added as he left. Thankfully none of the commotion had awoken the snake and he made it out safely. Sirius moved closer to the headmaster cautiously.

"Professor?" He called quietly. Dumbledore suddenly sighed heavily and looked at Sirius. Sirius huffed out a breath of relief.

"Where is the ring?" Dumbledore asked in a low voice.

"Bill threw it outside, he's gone to fetch it." Sirius explained.

"Ahh. It is a good job Bill was with us." Dumbledore said lightly. They made their way outside again and Bill looked up at their approach.

"I've got rid of the compulsion charm, it should be safe. I'm not opening the box again until we destroy the thing just in case. Now we need to recast all the spells in case Voldemort comes to check on the horcrux." Sirius nodded. They all made their way back inside. Sirius duplicated the box and put it back where they had found the original. They then moved the bed back into place. Bill and Sirius began recasting all the dark spells that had been set over the bedroom. Once they were done, they moved out of the house and Sirius took his spell off the snake. With them out of sight, it slithered back to its hiding place. They all started to put up the enchantments that had been around the house and then they were finally finished.

They had been a couple of hours and the sun was now visible properly. The mist had dissipated and everything was clear and bright. They moved further away and then apparated back to Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore wanted to go straight back to Hogwarts and assured the other two he would destroy it. Bill insisted that at least one of them go with him as it was unsafe to destroy it alone. They had no idea how much of a struggle a piece of Voldemort's soul would put up. It took a while but eventually Dumbledore agreed. Not that he had much choice and Bill still had the horcrux and refused to give it to him until he did agree. In the end all three of them flooed to the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts. Dumbledore retrieved Gryffindor's sword from its place and set himself. Bill glanced up at him and then opened the box. Now the compulsion charm had been removed there was no fight as Dumbledore brought the sword down, cracking the ring. All three of them breathed out a sigh of relief and joy.

"One down." Bill grinned. Sirius nodded. He then relayed the information about Ravenclaw's diadem to Dumbledore as he had not done so previously. He considered this and said he would see what he could do about searching Albania. Sirius nodded and then he and Bill took their leave.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: End of Fifth Year

As the end of the year approached, Harry become more worried about the upcoming exams. Unlike the years before he made his own study schedule and attempted to help make Ron one but the red haired boy flatly refused. The last Quidditch game of the season was also coming up and so his every evening was spent doing either Quidditch or exam revision. Angelina had increased practises to four times a week as the game approached.

He, Neville and the Hufflepuffs now had Herbology revision twice a week and DA had turned into purely exam prep for the older students. Some of them practised the practical side by still teaching the younger students some spells. Ginny and Luna had been a great help to Harry by picking up a lot of the slack in teaching the younger students. Astoria Greengrass had also taken to teaching quite easily.

Once a week, Harry found Daphne in the Library and they studied Potions together. He found that spending time with her was refreshing. Their conversations rarely consisted of more than the odd question about the work in front of them but it was nice. Through the rare conversations not about work, Harry learnt quite a bit about her once he learnt to read between the lines. She never let information slip freely but he soon got used to seeing what she really meant. This alone taught him a lot about how to deal with people when he went into politics after leaving school. The first few times, when he didn't grasp her meaning she gave him the same mocking smile but as he picked it up he occasionally saw a nod of appreciation that grew into a slight smile.

Soon the Quidditch final was the next day and Harry knew Sirius was going to be there watching him alongside Remus. Neville kept telling him he would be fine and that Sirius had seen him fly before but that didn't quite quell the nerves inside his stomach. Harry knew that once he got into the air he would be fine but until then his stomach felt like he had eaten something wriggly for lunch.

Fred and George were doing their usual of blowing off extra steam due to their nerves so the Gryffindor Common room was full of loud bangs from small fireworks they kept letting off. People also kept fainting or vomiting as they were selling some of their skiving snackboxes. Harry caught Hermione telling them off for it but they clearly paid her very little attention so she stormed off to her dormitory. He was very glad when Angelina called for the whole team to go to bed. Ron was a pale green colour by this point and Harry felt sleep was the best thing for him or he wouldn't be needing the Puking Pastilles.

Next morning, Harry woke before Ron but decided to wait for his friend before heading down to breakfast. By the time they got to the Great Hall the rest of the team was waiting for them. Angelina was encouraging everyone to eat something while her own plate remained empty and untouched. As the room began filling, Angelina chivied them all to the changing rooms. It was a bright but breezy day, almost perfect Quidditch conditions even if the sun may pose a little bit of a problem. Harry spent most of Angelina's pep talk muttering encouragement to Ron. They got into their robes and shouldered their brooms before heading out. The Ravenclaw team were already waiting by Madam Hooch. She gave them the customary warning about playing a clean game before the game began. Harry kicked off from the ground and soared up towards the clear blue sky.

Wind whistled past his ears and he felt his nerves dropping away. Once at a decent height, he turned and began looking for the snitch. He started doing laps of the pitch and noticed Cho was doing her usual tactic of trying to mark him rather than searching herself. He had a brief thought that Cedric had been the only seeker he had played against to actually try searching for the snitch himself since his very first game. Then his attention was dragged back to the game by Lee Jordan announcing Gryffindor were 10-0 up courtesy of Alicia.

He continued circling the pitch, watching as Roger Davis sped towards Ron with the Quaffle, dodging around Katie before taking a shot. Ron dived and made his first save. A cheer rung around the ground and Harry shot his friend a grin before speeding towards the Ravenclaw end. Angelina and Alicia then made it 30-0 to Gryffindor and Harry spotted the snitch. It was hovering a foot off the ground next to the Ravenclaw goalpost. He dived and Cho immediately followed suit. His firebolt easily gave him the advantage and he was gaining on it until a bludger was sent whizzing straight in front of him, missing him by inches. He rolled out of the way as a second one followed the first and in those seconds the snitch vanished. The Ravenclaws cheered their beater as the Gryffindor section of the crowd groaned. Spurred on by this, the Ravenclaw chasers scored their first goal and almost a second but for a spectacular save from Ron. The Gryffindor's began their own version of 'Weasley is Our King'.

There was so sign of the snitch for the next half an hour. Gryffindor were leading 140-50. Harry flew up even higher than before and continued circling the pitch. Cho was on his tail until suddenly she dived. He scanned the ground and saw a speck of gold flying around Ron's left boot. He immediately began his own dive but she had the lead.

"Come on. Faster." He urged his broom and he finally drew level with her. Ron saw them both coming and his eyes widened. Cho made a grab at the snitch but fumbled as she also tried to dodge out the way of Ron. Harry rolled over, plucked the snitch from the air and then looped around his friend. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and a roar bellowed from the red part of the stands. Ron flew straight into Harry. Pulling him into a mid air bear hug. Fred and George then thumped into them right before the three chasers joined the group hug.

"We did it! We did it!" Ron cheered right in Harry's ear. As they sunk to the floor they were greeted by all the Gryffindor fans who had run onto the pitch. They were all lifted onto the crowd's shoulders. To Harry's left, Angelina was sobbing. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Cho across the pitch, throwing her broom against the floor and running off. Then he was distracted by a voice in his ear.

"Nice catch. Congratulations." Looking around, he spotter that we was now on Sirius' shoulders and his godfather was beaming at him. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest in joy. Then he spotted Remus a few paces away and he was also grinning like a fool. The crowd were belting out 'Weasley is our King' as the players were all carried towards the castle.

With the game over, the OWLs seemed even closer. The days were melting away and Harry was so tired he forgot to close his mind before going to bed. His scar began prickling in a way he hadn't felt since he was at the Dursley's. Still, he kept himself so busy he barely even thought about it. The night before his first exam, Transfiguration, he forced himself to bed early despite Ron's pleas to play a game of Exploding Snap to take their minds off the next day. He had a quick mirror call to Sirius who wished him luck. He mentioned the twinges in his scar and Sirius looked concerned. He told him to remember his Occlumency.

"Why did the connection come back so quickly? I thought having Occlumency barriers in place would help even if I couldn't empty my mind every night?" Harry asked. Sirius bit his lip.

"I'm not sure Harry. The connection between you two is stronger than anything I've ever seen." He admitted. "That scar is unique so the connection between you is unique. It's good that clearing your mind has helped at all really."

"You didn't know if it would?" Harry asked, frowning.

"No. I didn't. However, it is a useful skill and I would have wanted you to learn it, scar or not." Sirius told him.

"Does Voldemort know about this connection?" Harry asked.

"We don't think so, not yet. Otherwise he would probably have tried to attack your shields and you would definitely know about that. However, he could find out at any time, especially if your scar is prickling again. Be careful." Sirius warned him.

"I will." Harry promised.

"Keep the mirror on you at all times. Contact me immediately if anything happens." He stressed.

"I promise, Siri." Sirius relaxed slightly and smiled at him through the mirror. Sirius then bade him goodnight as he had a big day the next day. Harry put the mirror away and sank back on the pillows. He was pleased Sirius was honest with him but scared about what the connection with Voldemort could mean. Finally he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning was tense. The fifth years ate breakfast together but conversation was definitely lacking. Hermione was muttering to herself, reciting her notes. Ron was simply stabbing his bacon as if it had personally offended him and saying nothing. Harry and Neville ate little but reviewed some notes together about the theory. The mornings would be for theory and the afternoons would be practical exams. At quarter to nine the fifth years all gathered in the antechamber off the Great hall and waited. They would be called in alphabetical order to take their seats. Soon they were filing in and Harry found himself behind Parvati Patil. Ron was two rows across and a few seats in front of him. Neville was level with him a few rows to his left. The examiner was a wizened old man. He introduced himself as Professor Tofty. They began and Harry looked down at the paper in front of him. _Question 1: Give the correct spell and wand movement required to turn an animal into a water goblet._ He grinned, fondly recalling Scabbers being turned into a water goblet and then began writing.

The examiner called an end to the exam and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. That hadn't been even half as bad as he thought it would be. He had at least managed some answer for every question although a couple he was positive he hadn't written enough. Trying not to think about it he left the hall with everyone else to prepare for their practical that afternoon. Neville came over and grinned.

"That wasn't so bad. I think I've passed at least." He sighed.

"I'm sure you did great Nev." Harry assured him. "Shall we go to the Room of Requirement and practise for this afternoon?" Neville nodded. Harry snagged Ron, Dean, Ernie and Susan on the way. They each brought their friends and the group gathered together, taking it in turns to practise while the others pointed out any flaws in their style and wording. An hour and a half later they made their way down for lunch. Soon after they were once again in the antechamber waiting to be called in for the Transfiguration practical. They would be going in four at a time so Harry figured he had quite a while to wait. He tried to take his mind off it by reading his Defence textbook. Eventually it was his turn and he walked over to the indicated examiner nervously.

One hour later he emerged feeling pleased with himself. It had gone well. His snuffbox had had a tail the first time he tried but he had quickly remedied that. That was his worst mistake of the exam so he felt he had at least passed.

The rest of the week passed in a haze for Harry. He got through his Herbology, Defence, Astronomy and Charms exams relatively well. Defence Against the Dark Arts had gone especially well. He had performed all the spells flawlessly and even produced a corporeal patronus at the request of his examiner. It had helped that Remus was watching the whole time and gave him a tiny nod of encouragement on his way out of the hall. Now they had to weekend to revise for Potions first thing Monday morning. Care of Magical Creatures was on Tuesday and then he had theory only exams left. The DA fifth and seventh years spent the weekend practising together. Most of them barely left the Room of Requirement except to eat and sleep. Occasionally not even then as Dobby had taken to bringing Harry food to make sure he was eating. Then he had agreed to bring some food for the others too.

The Potions theory passed easily enough, Harry thought and the practical was much easier without Snape hovering over him dangerously. He noticed that Neville also looked much more relaxed than he usually did while brewing. Other than a bite from a Bowtruckle, his Care of Magical Creatures exam went well. Hagrid had been watching him anxiously from his cabin window. Harry was most pleased with his Ancient Runes exam. It was the exam he felt most confident in except Defence. Arithmancy was also ok but he felt less confident in that result. He knew he has missed one question and not explained himself well enough on a couple of others.

Finally he only has History of Magic left. Harry settled down in his chair already annoyed by a headache that had been building all day. He put it down to the stress of the past two weeks and tried to focus on the paper. The pain grew and the words seemed to float around on the page. Harry pressed his palms to his eyes and rubbed trying to refocus. He glanced at the clock and saw they still had another half an hour to go. Trying to push the pain away as he was used to doing he managed another two questions before there was a sudden stabbing pain and his vision swam before briefly going black.

He found himself looking into a room he had never seen before. However he recognised it from Sirius' description, it was the room of Prophecy in the Ministry. Before he could even begin to question why he was seeing this a very familiar yell sounded from at his feet. Looking down he saw his arm outstretched, pale fingers wrapped around a wand that was pointing at a figure on the floor.

"You will fetch it for me Black." His voice was high and cold.

"Never." The reply came as expected. He felt cool amusement.

"Of course you will. It's only a matter of time and we have all the time in the world. _Crucio_." Harry jolted awake again. His brain was frozen and he couldn't breathe properly. Sirius. Suddenly he was aware of someone leaning over him.

"Are you alright dear boy?" Someone was asking him. He glanced up and saw the examiner.

"Sick." Harry muttered. "Headache. Hospital Wing."

"You only have ten minutes left, are you sure you don't want to…"

"No. I'm done." Harry told him as firmly as he could. The examiner nodded and rolled up his parchment. Then he guided Harry out of the hall. Harry walked away until he was sure he was out of sight and then fumbled around in his pocket for the mirror.

"Sirius Black!" He called urgently. The seconds passed, each more deafening than the last. Just when Harry was about to give up and run to McGonagall, Sirius' face appeared in the mirror.

"Hey pup. All done with your exams then?" He asked.

"Sirius." Harry breathed in relief.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked immediately.

"Had a vision. You were being tortured." Harry explained.

"I'm right here, I'm at Potter Manor and everything's ok." Sirius soothed. Harry nodded and sagged against the wall as the terror dissipated from him. "Tell me what happened."

"I didn't sleep well last night and had a headache all day. I thought it was just stress and lack of sleep. Then in the exam it got worse I could barely see properly. Finally about ten minutes ago I sort of blacked out and saw Voldemort torturing you." Harry choked slightly. "I was Voldemort torturing you. Then I came to and the examiner asked if I was ok. I told him I needed to get to the Hospital Wing. We only had ten minutes left anyway. Then I called you."

"You did well pup. Voldemort must have figured out the connection. I'm impressed you managed to hold him off all morning, that must be what your headache was. I'm fine, I promise and I'm very pleased you remembered your mirror." Harry nodded. "When you get home for summer we will have a discussion about what we do next. I'll speak to Dumbledore. Occlumency clearly isn't the answer even if it's helping." Harry nodded again. "So how did your exams go?" Sirius changed the subject.

"Pretty well I think. Not too sure about Arithmancy and I guess History didn't go very well."

"Well you have a pretty good reason for that so I'm sure we can ignore your History grade. It's not as if you wanted to continue it is it?"

"Definitely not." Harry chuckled. slightly. Sirius grinned, pleased to see the haunted look fading from his godson's eyes.

"Well, it's Friday so I'll see you later for dinner with Remus. I'm sure your friends will be wondering what happened." Sirius smiled at him. Harry nodded. He could hear lots of footsteps on the marble staircase behind him. They said goodbye and he returned to mirror to his pocket. He quickly made his way to Gryffindor tower to wait for Ron and Neville. They didn't disappoint and found him quickly Hermione was behind them.

"What happened Harry?" Neville asked anxiously. He briefly explained what had happened and they all looked appropriately horrified.

"At least he's ok." Ron clapped him on the shoulder. Harry nodded.

"I'm glad he's safe." Hermione said in a small voice.

"Thanks." He offered her a small smile which she returned. Then Ron decided to break the solemn mood and cheered that exams were finished. The others seemed to regain their good mood and Harry tried to join in. Fred and George organised an end of exams party that lasted until two in the morning when McGonagall came in to tell them all to go to bed.

The rest of the year passed very quickly. Thanks to their showing in Quidditch, Gryffindor won the House cup yet again. Harry sat between Fred and George at the leaving feast as they would not be returning next year. They discussed the shop and told Harry he was welcome at any time for a personal tour before they officially opened on the 1st of August. Harry was sure Remus and Sirius would be more than willing to accompany him. For the first time ever he was looking forward to the summer holidays. It would be his first full summer with Sirius as a free man and no Dursleys at all.

The twins stayed in the same carriage as Ron, Harry and Neville. Hannah joined them part way through so she could spend some time with Neville before the holidays. They had an exploding snap tournament which Fred won and then spent the last hours of the journey eating all the sweets Harry had bought from the trolley. Finally the train drew into King's Cross and there was the usual flurry of fetching trunks and making their way through the crowd. Harry finally spotted Sirius waiting for him with a huge grin on his face. He sped up and dropped his trunk to embrace his godfather.

"Hey Padfoot." Harry beamed.

"Hey there pup. You ready to go home?" Harry's grin grew even wider at those words.

"Yeah." He agreed having said his goodbyes on the train. Sirius gripped his arm and they apparated back to Potter Manor and the best summer Harry was sure he had ever had.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Horcrux Harry and OWL results

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when Potter Manor appeared around them. Sirius explained that he had managed to tweak the anti-apparition charms to exclude certain magical signatures. This meant that even if someone tried to apparate in using Polyjuice Potion, it wouldn't work. Harry grinned happily. He couldn't wait to start his own apparition lessons. Sirius had promised to teach him over the summer in case of an emergency, Remus has strictly told him he wasn't to use it until he had passed his Apparition test except in emergencies. He sank into the sofa with Sirius right beside him. Remus still had to stay at Hogwarts for the end of term Hogwarts meeting.

"Dumbledore will be coming over with Remus to discuss your scar and what we can do instead of Occlumency." Sirius informed him.

"Is there anything else?" Harry asked.

"Not that I know of, which is why we are including the old goat." Harry sniggered at the nickname. Sirius winked. Then he called for Dobby to take Harry's trunk upstairs and unpack it for him. "So is there anything in particular you want to do this summer?" Sirius asked.

"Well, Fred and George invited me to a personal tour of their shop before it publicly opens on 1st August." Harry grinned.

"Wicked." Sirius smirked. "I'm sure Remus will be up for that. We can go again once it's open as the booklists won't have arrived by then."

"Do I have any summer obligations as Lord Potter like I did at Christmas?"

"Just attending the Ministry Summer ball on the 1st August. Nothing other than that. You can attend the Wizengamot meeting with me if you like."

"Sure." Harry sighed, not particularly looking forward to that.

"We will be stepping up our efforts to fight Voldemort this summer." Sirius told him. "He didn't come out into the open last year so we can going to hopefully start promoting that he is back before he gets a chance to announce that on his terms."

"Cool." Harry grinned.

"We also need to plan in visiting Horace Slughorn. I'm against using you to lure him back to his position as Potions Master, but it's probably the only way he will agree." Sirius frowned.

"Will Remus stay on as Defence Professor?"

"Probably not. I imagine Dumbledore will give the position to Snape." Sirius glowered.

"Urgh! My favourite lesson, ruined." Harry lamented. Sirius grinned at him and they both laughed.

"If he gives you crap he will have to deal with me." His godfather assured him. They then turned to more pleasant topics until it was time for dinner. Melissa, the new Elf Sirius had hired, cooked up a feast to celebrate Harry's return. Remus arrived just in time and they all dug in with gusto. The trio laughed and joked until Harry's eyes were drooping and Sirius finally told him to go to bed. Both adults went up to tuck him in despite Harry's feeble protests he was too old to be tucked in, and he fell asleep almost instantly.

"He looks so peaceful." Sirius whispered to Remus in the doorway.

"Yeah, let's hope he stays that way for a while. Albus will be arriving tomorrow instead of with me as he had some business to finish up." He replied, equally quietly. "I will head back to Hogwarts the day after tomorrow for the full moon."

"I'll come with you. Harry will be fine here with Dobby."

"No, he shouldn't be left alone." Remus argued.

"Well, what if I call Minerva to watch over him?" Sirius suggested. Remus nodded and they both went to their own rooms to catch some sleep as well.

The next morning, Harry was the first awake and he went down to breakfast on his own. He had finished his bacon and eggs by the time Remus made an appearance and it was another half an hour before Sirius came down. The trio spent the morning playing board games as well as some Quidditch before Dumbledore arrived shortly before lunch. Sirius had already informed him of everything Harry had told him.

"So it seems Occlumency has been working on some level but if Voldemort actually tried to break into Harry's mind it seems to fail, no matter how good he is. Any thoughts Albus?" Sirius began as they all sat in the living room. Dumbledore looked grave and some conflict flickered across his face.

"I'm not sure. This connection between them is unique." He replied edgily.

"Your best guess then." Harry looked at his headmaster calmly.

"I told you in your second year that Voldemort put some part of himself in you when he tried to kill you." Dumbledore began. Sirius paled rapidly.

"You don't think..?" He began.

"I cannot be sure but it makes sense." Dumbledore nodded.

"How long have you guessed this?" Sirius asked him darkly. Dumbledore didn't respond immediately and Sirius asked again, quieter and deadlier than ever.

"Since his second year when I knew Voldemort had made one. My guess became more likely after this recent information."

"You suspected since his second year and you did nothing!?" Sirius growled.

"I had no proof." Dumbledore defended.

"What's going on?" Harry broke in.

"It's possible Voldemort accidentally made you into a Horcrux." Dumbledore told him.

"And you did nothing!?" Remus bellowed. "Did you even consult anyone or was this another of your ridiculous plans to keep this to yourself as long as bloody possible?"

"I…" He began.

"Don't speak right now." Sirius ground out. "We need to speak to Bill and then probably go to Gringotts." He addressed Remus.

"Gringotts?" Harry asked. He was still trying to process the fact that he may be a Horcrux. Voldemort couldn't die while he lived. Voldemort couldn't know or he wouldn't keep trying to kill him but still...the knowledge seemed to bite at him without fully sinking in.

"Yes, the Goblins are most likely to have a solution to this." Remus told him.

"Well, you see, when Voldemort used Harry's blood to bring himself back last year he bound them tighter than ever. While Harry's blood runs in Voldemort he cannot die by Voldemort's hand." Dumbledore interrupted. Sirius' face went even paler.

"If you have even thought about what I think you mean, I will kill you myself." He snarled.

"It is a last resort indeed..." Dumbledore began.

"No. Over my damn dead body are you even attempting to prove that theory." Sirius barked furiously. "Get out of this house. NOW!" Dumbledore did not move for a second and Sirius drew his wand. The elder wizard made a hasty exit via the floo and Remus looked at his friend, eyebrow raised.

"What was that about?"

"He thought that because they were bound by blood, if Voldemort killed Harry, he would destroy the Horcrux without actually killing Harry himself." Sirius spat. He stood and paced the floor furiously.

"He wanted me to die because he thought I wouldn't really die?" Harry asked. Sirius only nodded, too angry to actually reply. He couldn't get his head around the idea that he could die yet not die, by Voldemort only of course, but the idea was still beyond him.

"I will send an emergency letter to Bill. I'm sure he will know what to do." Remus stated, trying to be calm despite the fury raging through him. It would not do for both of them to be furious in front of Harry. "Harry, don't let the dog out." He tried for a joke. Harry grinned weakly and went to his godfather.

"I'm here Sirius. Dumbledore hasn't done anything yet. I'm sure Bill and the goblins can fix it." He babbled, not really sure of anything but wanting Sirius to calm down. He had never seen his Godfather as angry as he had when he ordered Dumbledore out of the house. Not even when he had been faced with Pettigrew in the Shack. Sirius seemed to break out of his furious stupor and look down at Harry. Suddenly he threw his arms around him as he let the recent information actually sink in. Harry was taken aback by the sob he felt rather than heard break out of Sirius. The two sank back onto the sofa and just held each other until Remus came back in. He smiled slightly as the pair of them and walked quietly over to the other sofa so as not to disturb them. Dobby came to collect them for lunch and Sirius finally pulled back from his godson.

"You and I are going to see the Weasley twins tomorrow. I need the bloody laugh." Sirius muttered. Harry gave a quiet laugh and the trio made their way to the dining room. The rest of the day passed relatively peacefully. It was clear to Harry that Sirius was brooding but he tried to be cheerful for Harry. Bill replied that afternoon that he would be over first thing in the morning to speak to them. They spent the afternoon doing animagus practice. Harry still couldn't transform more than his whole arm. He was getting frustrated so Remus stepped in and told him some stories about James and Sirius trying to transform.

The next day Charlie and Tonks arrived. They were still together and were planning on telling Molly at Ginny's birthday party as Charlie had actually proposed.

"Congratulations!" Harry cried upon hearing the news. Both of them grinned at him as he hugged them both in turn. Sirius and Remus both congratulated the couple as Bill arrived. They filled in Charlie and Tonks what had happened the previous day and both were appropriately horrified. Charlie, Tonks and Bill all viewed Harry as a little brother, wanting to protect him at all costs. Bill told them he would speak with Gringotts about a way to sort this out. They had taken Horcruxes out of living hosts before in Egypt but he wasn't able to do so himself. He was sure that once they heard of this, the goblins would be more than willing to help. Once the unpleasant conversation was out the way the six of them made their way to Diagon Alley.

They all made their way too what was obviously Fred and George's shop. It was still boarded up at the windows but the door was painted a bright orange. Harry led the way in, calling for the twins. Both materialised in front of him as if they had apparated.

"We weren't expecting you so early, Mr Potter." They both grinned.

"Well, some stuff happened, I'll tell you later, and we needed to come to Diagon alley anyway." Harry told them both. They looked intrigued but consented to give everyone a tour first. They were pleased to see their eldest brothers, teasing Charlie enormously about his engagement to Tonks, after congratulating the pair. After a tour they stayed for lunch in the twins' small flat, laughing and joking, before Harry explained what they were in Diagon Alley for. Both twins looked horrified and promised to help in any way they could. Sirius smiled at them both at this declaration and promised to let them know the outcome of their visit to Gringotts.

After spending a couple more hours with the twins, the six of them made their way to Gringotts. Bill spoke in Gobbledygook to the senior goblin in the main hall. He ushered them to Sharpblade's office immediately. Bill did the talking yet again and soon Sharpblade looked horrified. He spoke to Bill and hurried out of the office.

"He is upset and angry that this was not dealt with by Albus. He says they have the means to deal with this quickly but it'll cost a lot." Bill told them.

"Price isn't a problem." Sirius informed him confidently.

"I told them that. Sharpblade has gone to get the necessary goblins for the procedure. It'll be painful." He added to Harry. "However it shouldn't last too long and then that thing will be gone forever." Harry nodded, determined. Sirius shuddered slightly at the mentioned pain but would do anything to have his godson safe. They all nodded and waited. Nobody spoke until Sharpblade came back half an hour later. He spoke to Bill, who nodded happily.

"What's going on?" Tonks asked, anxiously.

"Harry, you need to follow Sharpblade, the rest of us need to wait here for the process to be completed. It will take an hour or so." Bill told them all.

"I want to go with him." Sirius protested immediately.

"You are not allowed. Only the goblins who will perform the ritual will be present." Sharpblade told him firmly. "Mr Potter should be taken home immediately after the ritual as he will be tired for the next 24 hours. After that he should be fine."

"Will the scar still be there?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, there is nothing we can do about that but it will be much fainter and he should have no problems from it." Sharpblade assured them all. Sirius nodded, finally consenting for Harry to go. Harry followed Sharpblade and they all waited anxiously for the results. As Harry left the room, Sirius began pacing rapidly in his frustration. It was an hour and a half before Harry returned to them, looking dead on his feet.

"It is done." Sharpblade told them. Sirius nodded gratefully.

"Take whatever fee from my vault." He told the goblin. "Take a 10% tip for yourself for doing this so quickly and efficiently." He added. Sharpblade looked at him in astonishment. Sirius nodded and carried Harry from the room despite his godson's protests that he could walk himself. Bill cast charms on them to disguise them and they all made their way back to Potter Manor. Sirius went to put Harry to bed.

"Thank you." Remus said to Bill. Words could not cover what the eldest Weasley had done for the boy he considered his nephew but Bill understood anyway.

"He's like a younger brother to me. Anything you need, I'll do what I can." Bill promised.

"Me too. Both of us." Tonks smiled at Remus. He grinned back and the four of them enjoyed a Firewhisky provided by Dobby. Sirius emerged half an hour later and the five of them celebrated another Horcrux gone, even if it was not one they had anticipated. He told them all Harry was sleeping. Tonks and Charlie promised to come back a few days later, as they had plans themselves for the next two days. BIll said he would check in on Harry after work the next day but otherwise would probably see them at Ginny's birthday party as Harry was sure to be invited. Once everybody had left, Sirius turned to Remus and the two of them just basked in the joy that Harry was now safe.

The weeks passed relatively peacefully for the trio. Harry learned a lot for his animagus transformation from Professor McGonagall as she visited from time to time. The day before the Wizengamot meeting, an owl arrived with a letter attached for Harry. He realised it was probably his OWL results and he opened the letter at the breakfast table anxiously.

 _Ordinary Wizarding Level Results_

 _Pass Grades:_

 _Outstanding (O)_

 _Exceeds Expectations (E)_

 _Acceptable (A)_

 _Fail Grades:_

 _Poor (P)_

 _Dreadful (D)_

 _Troll (T)_

 _Harry James Potter has achieved:_

 _Astronomy E_

 _Care of Magical Creatures E_

 _Arithmancy A_

 _Charms E_

 _Defense Against the Dark Arts O_

 _Ancient Runes O_

 _Herbology E_

 _History of Magic D_

 _Potions O_

 _Transfiguration_ _E_

Harry let out a triumphant yelp as he read his results, far better than he had expected. Sirius demanded to know and he passed the letter over. Sirius and Remus both bent over it with identical smirks. They both knew that Harry would do fine, despite his own worries. Both of them looked up and smiled at him.

"I think this calls for a celebration. I'll call Charlie, Tonks and Bill tonight. That's absolutely brilliant Harry." Remus told him, grinning brilliantly. Harry nodded, still trying to process how well he had done, with the exception of HIstory of Magic. Sirius excused him that because of his problem with Voldemort, so all round, he had done extremely well. He couldn't wait to ask Neville and Ron how they had done. That afternoon, he sent letters off to both of them and Daphne, asking how they had done.

The next day was the Wizengamot meeting. Sirius spent a lot of time arguing that Voldemort was back. It helped that Fudge, Amelia and Daniel Greengrass all back up his claims. All the members had, of course, seen the increase in Aurors and approved even more funding for that department. Once they believed the claims, it was approved to approach the goblins for further wards against the Dark Mark so they could weed out any Voldemort supports amongst the Ministry and St Mungo's, which were deemed the most important. Sirius promised to speak to goblins on the Wizengamot's behalf, while planning to ask Bill to do that. The Daily Prophet would broadcast Voldemort's return so the general public wouldn't be caught unawares.

The next big event was the Ministry Summer ball which Harry was expected to attend. Sirius made it clear he didn't have to if he didn't want to but Harry had already mailed Daphne Greengrass, asking her to be his date to the ball which she had accepted. Harry didn't fully understand why he was attracted to the Slytherin Ice Queen, but he was. Something deep inside him wanted her to have the marriage she wanted and the freedom she wanted, which was not what she would get by marrying Malfoy, During the month before exams he had come to know her well and planned to continue that as she accepted his invitation. He proposed to pick her up and both she and Sirius agreed., although Sirius would accompany Harry, much to his displeasure.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Attack at the Ministry

The day before the ball was Harry's birthday. Having never had it really acknowledged before, he hadn't really thought much about it. He was certainly not expecting to wake up to a pile of presents at the foot of his bed with Sirius and Remus bursting in yelling "Happy Birthday!" Harry blinked blearily and then ginned widely.

"Thanks guys!" Both of them gave him a big hug and then settled back to watch him open his presents. Ron had gotten him a book on Quidditch drills for professional players. Hermione had sent him a book on advanced Ancient Runes which made him smile slightly. Fred and George had sent him a large supply of all their favourite products, causing Sirius and Remus to look at him a little enviously. He received a new broomstick servicing kit from Tonks and Charlie as his last one was mostly used up now and Bill had gotten him a book on basic curse-breaking that he had been looking at last time they were in Diagon Alley. Hagrid had sent him a tin of fudge that would need to be melted a little before being edible and McGonagall had sent him some books on advanced Transfiguration with a note that they would help with his NEWTs. Daphne had sent him a very handsome set of Eagle feather quills and a book on duelling tournaments all around the world.

"Come on! Open up." Sirius began bouncing up and down as Harry picked up one of the presents from him and Remus. He hadn't had the pleasure of watching Harry open his presents on his birthday since he turned one year old. Even then, James had done most of the work as Harry was busy playing with whatever he had previously opened, paying no heed to new presents. Harry looked at him with a grin and pretended to put the present down, edging towards one from Remus when Sirius excitedly shoved his present back at Harry. Remus and Harry both burst out laughing. He opened the first present which was a large, black, stuffed dog, similar to Sirius. As Harry looked at it in amusement, the dog licked him and gave a loud bark. He laughed at the proud look of Sirius' face. Then he sat it next to him and reached for the next present from his godfather. Sirius had also gotten him a new cloak with plenty of protection spells on it, a basket full of Honeydukes sweets, to which Remus had commented that he was surprised Sirius had managed to keep that without eating half of it.

"You're the chocoholic, not me." Sirius told him haughtily.

"Maybe so but you always had the sweetest tooth. Remember what happened when you couldn't help yourself and raided by pre-exam chocolate stash?" Remus raised an eyebrow at him. Sirius cringed.

"What did you do?" Harry asked.

"Cursed his hair green and silver for three days." Remus smirked. Harry laughed loudly as Sirius pouted at both of them.

Sirius had also gotten him some new Quidditch gear, along with a full set of balls so they could play properly if he had friends over. Remus then handed over his presents which included a book about apparition; some more Honeydukes chocolate; a new wand holster for his forearm and some new dress robes as he had had a recent growth spurt and his were now several inches too short.

Once the presents had been opened and admired, Sirius called for Dobby to make them a breakfast as he cleared the mess with a wave of his wand. Dobby was more than happy to, wishing Harry a happy birthday several times over. They had a huge breakfast and spent the morning playing games around the house. At lunchtime the Twins, Bill, Charlie and Tonks arrived. With Sirius and Remus, they had four vs four game of Quidditch. The twins, Tonks and Harry made one team with Remus, Charlie, Sirius and Bill on the other. Tonks played keeper and the Twins as chasers while Harry played seeker. They decided not to bring out the bludgers and have no beaters. Charlie would be playing seeker for the other team with Remus playing as keeper. They played for several hours during which Harry caught the snitch seven times to Charlie's five. However Tonks' clumsiness didn't help her in goal. This meant that The Twins had a hard time keeping score with Sirius and Bill. It started raining halfway through the day so when they came in for dinner, everybody was soaking wet. They all went to have warm showers and get changed or dry their clothes. Dobby cooked up a feast and they chatted all through dinner.

Finally it was time for them all to get going as Harry had the Ministry Ball to attend the next day. Although it wouldn't take place until the evening, Sirius insisted he get a good nights sleep in. The five wished Harry happy birthday and then departed. Sirius tucked Harry into bed.

"Thanks Padfoot." Harry said quietly. He couldn't express how much the day had meant to him but he saw in Sirius' face that he didn't have to. Sirius understood.

"You're welcome pup." His godfather smiled and then left the room. Harry cleared his mind and fell into a dreamless sleep.

The next day he awoke to the stuffed dog licking him awake. While it wasn't wet like the real thing, it was still slightly scratchy and enough to pull him from sleep. He made his way downstairs for breakfast and Remus was already up. They greeted each other and Harry slumped into a chair. He was nervously excited for that evening, if it went well he was planning on asking Daphne to be his girlfriend. Not that he had mentioned that to Sirius yet.

He spent ages getting ready, something Sirius teased him about when he finally emerged, having settled on his new dark green dress robes for the occasion. He used the spell Sirius had taught him to tame his hair and when he could find nothing else to do to his appearance he left the bathroom. They had a light dinner before it was time to leave.

Harry arranged to arrive at the Greengrass mansion half an hour before the Ministry ball began. Daniel was there to greet him, informing him that Daphne was still getting ready. Sirius arrived right behind him, so Harry moved into the waiting area. It was twenty minutes before Daphne came down the stairs in a pale blue, floor length, dress. It suited her very well and Harry told her so as she moved next to him.

"Thank you. You look rather dashing." Daphne replied with a slight smile. Harry felt his heart skip a beat at her smile and he knew in that instant, that he would do anything to see it again. Daphne was unlike any Slytherin he had ever met and their bond from the end of last year played on his mind. He liked Daphne, he was sure, but he was unsure how Daphne would react to the idea of them being boyfriend/girlfriend. It was a future he had never allowed himself to think about yet the idea appealed to him. Daphne would certainly never allow him to get away with things just because he was the 'Chosen one'. Harry would never want to get in the way of her ambition as he had no interest in the contracts between magical families.

Harry offered her his arm and they made their way to the floo. Sirius went through first then Daphne went in front of Harry. The Ministry Atrium had been specially decorated with an area cleared to make a dance floor with the fountain in the centre. Around the dance floor were many small tables and chairs. Refreshments were available at the back of the room. Harry offered up his arm again as they waited for Daniel and his wife to come through the floo. One they were all gathered, they headed to a table to sit down. Fudge would be making a welcome speech before any dancing would occur. Once they were all seated, the Greengrasses, Sirius and Harry began talking about the recent Wizengamot meeting. Sirius had finally persuaded Fudge to release details of Voldemort's younger years, including his true name and blood status. They had been out in the Prophet the day before.

Finally Fudge came up and welcomed everyone. Just as he concluded his speech the fireplaces all flared into life. Hooded figures stood upright and spells began falling into the crowd. Chaos descended. Sirius grabbed hold of Harry and told him to apparate straight back to Potter Manor, taking Daphne with him.

"No! I want to…" Harry began but he was cut off as a burst of green light whizzed past his head, missing by inches. Sirius roared angrily and turned to face whoever had cast the spell. The culprit waved his wand again and Daniel shoved both Harry and Daphne down before returning fire. Screams and curses echoed around the large atrium as Harry tried to regain his bearings after being thrown to the floor. Daphne was still holding his left arm and both of them got up. Sirius was nearby to his right, duelling two death eaters and the older Greengrasses were both duelling a death eater each, further off to Harry's left. Daphne let out a scream of rage as a bolt of red light hit her mother and ran off, raising her wand. Harry charged after her. People were running everywhere and it made it hard to keep track as Daphne weaved in and out of the crowd. He managed to keep up as Daphne threw herself into duelling the man who had stunned her mother.

"Stupify!" Harry yelled as he spotted another death eater aiming at Daphne from the side. His spell hit and the person collapsed. Jets of light whizzed all around them as he aided Daphne in the duel. As they fought the mask slipped off to reveal Lucius Malfoy. He was more than a match for either of the teenagers but together they held him off until a furious Sirius came barrelling past them and hit him with a beam of silver light. Malfoy went pale and then fell to the floor unmoving.

"I told you to get out of here!" Sirius yelled over the noise. Harry shook his head defiantely, nodding towards Daphne, who was now crouching over Celine. Sirius opened his mouth to argue but ducked as a jet of green light came bursting at them. Harry looked for the source and heard a high pitched cackling. One of the death eaters was standing in the middle of the hall, giggling and shrieking while sending off blast after blast of killing curses. Sirius swore and started to make his way through the thinning crowd. Harry looked around for Daniel who had finished his duel and was now supporting his wife.

"Get my daughter out of here." Daniel told him.

"But, Sirius…" Harry pointed in the direction his godfather had gone.

"Get Daphne out of here now! Sirius will be just fine. If you want to do something helpful, let Dumbledore know what's gone on here." Daniel told him firmly. "Go to Potter Manor, Celine and I will join you once we can floo there from our house." Harry realised that they two eldest Greengrasses had not been approved to apparate straight to Potter Manor. Only he, Sirius, Remus and Bill could do that. Harry looked back over his shoulder towards Sirius and then grabbed Daphne's arm. He fully intended to come back the second he dropped Daphne off. Before he could turn on the spot an explosion sounded behind them. A large chunk of the fountain blasted towards them forcing Harry and Daphne to both jump aside in opposite directions.

"Go, get to the fireplace!" Harry called to her over the screams. A path to the nearest fireplace had opened up.

"I'm not leaving 'till you do." She called back. The pair made their way around the body of the centaur that had fallen there. There were less spells flying around now as the aurors seemed to have most of it under control. Bodies were strewn everywhere, though whether dead or stunned Harry couldn't tell. Harry grabbed her and they stared at each other. They both grinned slightly and nodded, agreeing they weren't going anywhere, so they turned to try and spot the adults. Sirius was still by the fountain, right in the middle of the remaining duels. Harry saw Bellatrix LeStrange, gleefully dancing about as she kept up the very even duel. Only four other death eaters were still fighting. Two still had masks on and Harry didn't recognise the third. The fourth, however, was Greyback. He charged towards him, Daphne not far behind. Just as they ran up, Greyback charged the man who had been trying to duel him and lunged for his throat.

"Confringo!" Harry yelled. The werewolf was blasted backwards into what remained of the fountain. His head bounced of the wizard's arm and he fell to the floor. This had distracted Bellatrix as she had to duck the werewolf flying towards her, allowing Sirius to gain an upper hand. However one of the masked death eaters had just stunned both aurors he had been duelling and aimed at Sirius. Harry tried to take aim but too many others were in the way. Grinding his teeth in frustration he began running towards him but too late. A jet of light hit Sirius squarely in the back. He fell face first into the fountain and Bellatrix's gleeful squeals rang in Harry's head. He and Daphne raised their wands in unison.

"Confringo!" Harry screamed.

"Stupify!" Daphne yelled beside him. Both spells hit Bellatrix as she gloated, blasting her into the far wall of the atrium. The other death eater was rounded up by the aurors. Harry caught a glimpse of Tonks as he charged towards Sirius. His godfather hadn't moved since he fell and Harry's heart was hammering in his chest. He rolled him over and breathed out heavily in relief. His chest was still moving.

"We need to get him to St Mungo's." Daphne told him urgently. "Dad!" She called. Daniel ran over, with a now conscious Celine, about to yell at them until he spotted Sirius and he closed his mouth abruptly.

"I'll get him to St Mungo's. Celine, you get these two home."

"I want to see Sirius." Harry protested hotly.

"You've done enough." Daniel rounded on him. "Staying here was stupid and reckless and I'm sure Sirius would be saying exactly the same thing. I will fetch you as soon as there is news." With that, he conjured a stretcher, put Sirius on it and headed for the nearest fireplace. Harry made to follow but Daphne grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Sirius is strong, he'll be fine." She tried to reassure him. Celine settled the matter by grabbing both of them and disapparating. They appeared in the Greengrass front room. Harry frantically paced the room until Daphne finally stood up and forcefully guided him to the sofa. Then she sat him down, sat beside him and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"What if he isn't fine?" Harry whispered brokenly.

"He will be. Dad got him there in plenty of time." Daphne told him, tightening her grip on his shoulders.

"But…"

"No buts. Dad will be home soon to tell you Sirius is just fine. Stop worrying so much." She told him sternly. Harry tried to believe her but with the way his life had gone so far he didn't hold out much hope.

A few hours later, neither of them had moved from their position, huddled on the sofa when the fireplace flared into life. Harry bounced up as Daniel came in looking exhausted. Celine immediately sent for a House-Elf to get him some tea.

"Sirius will be fine. He hasn't woken up yet and the Healer says he probably won't until tomorrow, given all the potions he has had. There will be no lingering effects and you can come with me to fetch him home tomorrow. For now, you are welcome to stay here but I assume you would rather go back to Potter Manor and see Mr Lupin." Harry sagged with relief and nodded that he would rather go back home. Daniel led him to the floo and he went back to Potter Manor after saying a quick goodbye to Daphne. As he staggered out of the fire he saw Remus waiting for him.

"You're late back. How did it go?" Remus smiled. Harry paused and then looked down at the floor.

"There was an attack. Sirius is in St Mungo's. Mr Greengrass said that he will be fine. They said he won't wake up until the morning but I wanna see him." Harry's voice increased in volume with his desperation. Remus looked at him in both concern and horror. He took a second to process that Harry had said Sirius would be ok and then looked down at his pseudo-nephew.

"Are you ok? Were you injured?" He asked quietly. Harry shook his head and Remus let out a breath of relief. "If Sirius won't wake up until tomorrow then you'd be better of getting some sleep. We will go and see him first thing in the morning, I promise." Harry looked like he wanted to argue until he started swaying on his feet from exhaustion. Remus stepped forwards and caught him as he stumbled forwards. Then he picked Harry up and carried him to bed knowing Harry had to come first no matter that half of him was screaming that he get to Sirius now. Once Harry was asleep in bed, Remus moved to the front room and paced up and down violently. He had sent letters to Bill and the Twins. Tonks obviously already knew what had gone on as an auror. He knew that Sirius would be meeting with the Minister as soon as he was well enough and they needed to decide how they would step up their efforts to be rid of Voldemort. They'd been expecting a far less quiet summer than the one before and yet nobody had really expected something on this scale to be his first target. He hoped plenty of Death Eaters had been caught or killed. Finally he dropped onto the couch and fell asleep.

The next morning, Harry and Remus stuffed down a quick breakfast and then flooed to St Mungo's. There was a large queue as many people had been injured the night before and it took some time before they made their way to the ward Sirius was on. When they got their he was still asleep. Remus looked down at his best friend, pale and unmoving. Despite knowing he was asleep, it looked as if he could be dead. Only the slight movement of his chest kept Remus from having a breakdown. To his left, Harry didn't look much better. Then a nurse came in and introduced herself in an altogether very cheerful manner. She told them she expected him to wake up any time now so they took a chair and sat on opposite sides of the bed. Harry then gave him the full story of what happened the night before as he had been too tired the night before.

"You should have left immediately." Remus told him sternly. "If Sirius can't trust you to obey him in times like that then he won't involve you in other things." Harry looked down at that.

"But he told me to get Daphne out and she ran off to help her mother." He protested.

"Yes, and after that you had more than ample opportunity to get out of there. By your own word you told her to get out with no intention of following." Remus looked at him and Harry cringed at the disappointment in his face, knowing it would be worse when he had to face Sirius.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"Are you really? Or are you just sorry you got in trouble for it?" Remus asked him dryly. Harry flushed slightly and looked sheepish. "I know it's hard. You want to help and I can appreciate that but if Sirius assesses it as too dangerous you need to get yourself out of there. Any of the Ministry workers could have been Death Eaters in disguise and captured you without anybody knowing." Harry nodded. "Just think how you would feel if Miss Greengrass had been injured after you were given the responsibility of getting her out of there and to a safe place." Harry swallowed, knowing he would have felt awful if Daphne had been hurt. Remus sat back, content his message had sunk in for now.

It was another hour before Sirius finally stirred. He blinked and looked around blearily. As soon as he woke, the nurse came bustling back in and gave him a round of potions before waving her wand over him rather erratically. Sirius glowed green for a brief second and she nodded.

"He is cleared to go home as long as somebody will be around to watch him for the next 24 hours. He should be on bed rest for the rest of today and take it easy for a week or so." She informed Remus, who nodded.

"What happened?" Sirius asked as he managed to clear his head from sleep.

"I'll explain at home." Remus promised him. Then he waved his wand to change Sirius' clothes back to normal instead of a hospital gown and grabbed his hand. Harry took Sirius' other hand and they apparated back to Potter Manor. They helped Sirius back up to bed and Harry called Dobby to bring him some breakfast. Remus then ordered Harry out to see if there was any response from Bill or the Twins. While he was gone, Remus explained to Sirius everything Harry had told him that morning, including their conversation at the hospital.

"That boy." Sirius shook his head. He knew full well it was exactly what he and James would have done at that age. Being the responsible adult changed your perspective and he suddenly found himself feeling sorry for Euphemia Potter and the trouble the two of them had given her.

"Are you going to talk to him?" Remus asked.

"Well, I think you've done enough to at least make him think about his actions but he will be writing an essay on why he should have left straight away." Remus looked at him in amusement.

"You're going to make him write an essay?"

"Yeah. I don't really wanna ground him. I'm not sure how to handle this really. He's never actively disobeyed me before." Sirius shrugged. Remus nodded in understanding. He knew his friend did not want to punish Harry but wouldn't want him to think he could get away with disobeying a direct order. It was sort of surprising it had taken so long for this issue to come up but then again Sirius didn't really set many rules. When Harry came back in he sat himself down on the bed beside Sirius and wrapped his arms around him. Sirius hugged him back and kissed the top of his head.

"You ok pup?" Harry nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a horde of stampeding Centaurs." Sirius shrugged. "Other than that I'm ok. A little bit angry though." Harry flinched. Sirius looked up at Remus and nodded. He left the room so the two could talk.

"Siri…" Harry began.

"Don't." Sirius warned him. "I told you to get yourself and Daphne to safety. From what Remus told me she ran off first and I can appreciate you going after her. However, after that it seems you had plenty of time to go and you didn't. I don't give you many rules, Harry, but we made it clear you were not to put yourself in dangerous situations when adults should be the ones handling it."

"I'm perfectly capable…" He began to argue, knowing it wasn't a good idea but unable to help himself.

"Your capability has nothing to do with it." Sirius cut him off sharply. "Besides, you were only keeping pace with Lucius with Daphne's help and both of you are very capable duellers. You are not ready to be taking on inner circle Death eaters on your own and that is easily what could have happened. As Remus pointed out to you, any of the Ministry members could have been in disguise. Precautions were taken against that but sometimes one can slip through and you need to be more careful."

"I just...I couldn't just leave when people I care about were getting hurt." Harry protested. "It feels cowardly to run away when I could help."

"It is not even close to being cowardly." Sirius frowned. "Self preservation is a good thing. How do you think Remus and I would feel if you got yourself killed playing the hero?"

"I wasn't playing the hero!" Harry yelped.

"Yes, you were. There were more than enough Aurors there to get the situation under control. You did very well, I won't deny that, but you need to think about yourself sometimes. People get hurt Harry. That's just how the world is. Not every single injury if your fault. If people got injured after you left then that's just how duels go. Plenty of people got hurt while you were there, nothing you can do. You think you'd feel guilty if I got hurt because you'd done as I said and left? Well how would I feel if you stayed to help me and got yourself killed. It's my job to protect you and I can't do that properly if you don't help me." Harry paused. Then he nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry, Siri. I just don't want to be sitting on the sidelines all the time."

"I know that." Sirius' face softened. "Next year you'll be of age and sometimes I forget that. I can't stop you being a part of every fight but sometimes even Aurors have to retreat when the odds are against them. Dying because you don't want to leave a fight, no matter the odds isn't brave it's stupid." Harry nodded.

"I love you Padfoot."

"I love you too pup." Sirius tightened his hold on him and Harry buried his face in the crook of his godfather's neck.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Rest of Summer

The next day a meeting was held at Grimmauld place. Bill, Remus, Sirius, Harry, Tonks, Charlie and the twins sat around the kitchen table and discussed their next move. Sirius had had to meet Fudge and Amelia earlier that day. Twenty seven were dead as a result of the attack and another eighteen were severely injured, not including Sirius himself. Four of those dead were Death Eaters and another eight had been captured, including Bellatrix and Greyback. Bill agreed to step up negotiations with the Goblins about putting extra wards around the Ministry. Remus grimly agreed to go underground to see what was going on with the werewolves after the capture of a very prominent leader. Sirius knew what it took his friend to go on such missions and hated having to ask but it was necessary. The twins told Sirius about the development of their shield range, such as hats and gloves. He immediately knew Amelia would want to hear about those. He also had them working on other things that could be used during battle to either distract or incapacitate an enemy.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Tonks would be helping Harry improve his duelling skills. Charlie had offered to help when he could but he had to go back to Romania in a few days. Sirius had also sent an owl to McGonagall asking if she would tutor Harry in battle transfiguration over the summer. Bill would teach him about curse breaking on his days off and Harry realised almost all of his summer would be spent learning again. He knew it would at least be interesting and he hoped mostly practical rather than essays. That evening, Sirius, Bill and Harry sat around listing what they already knew about Voldemort's Horcruxes in case they missed anything.

"Well, we've destroyed the diary, the ring and the one in me." Harry began.

"Some part will have to stay in his body, which gives us four pieces of soul already." Bill sighed.

"I'm pretty sure the locket is one as is that Hufflepuff cup in the memory." Sirius added. "Oh, and the Grey Lady confirmed the Ravenclaw diadem is a Horcrux although we have no idea where. Possibly Albania."

"Seven pieces of soul. Six Horcruxes. We're only half way there in the Horcruxes and we don't know if there are more out there." Bill moaned.

"Well, Voldemort gave the diary to Lucius Malfoy. Could he have given another one to a different follower?" Harry asked.

"Possibly. I would have thought that after what Lucius did with the diary he would most certainly have moved any from his follower's possessions." Bill frowned. "However, it would be a good idea to check. If the Ministry required all houses and vaults to be checked of those who have been proven a Death Eater we might have some luck. Gringotts will require a member of their staff to be present to make sure the Ministry don't help themselves to anything they are not permitted to take. I might be able to swing myself that job."

"I'll bring up the idea with Fudge tomorrow. We will need to do it quietly or Voldemort might move them anyway. It's been proven he can break into Gringotts." Sirius noted. Harry cracked a yawn and they decided that was enough for one night. Bill said goodbye and flooed back to his flat he was sharing with Fleur. They had gotten engaged three days previously but, unlike Tonks and Charlie, had told Mrs Weasley straight away and Bill was annoyed his mother didn't approve. The wedding was set for next summer and the two brothers were talking about making it a double wedding. They were going to be each other's best man as it was.

Within the week it was approved for the Ministry to check the vaults of those who had been proven to be Death Eaters. The Goblins had also put up extra wards around the Ministry that would not allow anyone with a Dark Mark to pass through without`a special bracelet. These would be given to prisoners so they could stand trial. The day after the wards were implemented, an alarming number of Ministry workers found they could not get in to work and the Aurors, who were on standby, made quick work of arresting them. A few escaped in the confusion but over thirty were caught and tried before being shipped off to Azkaban. Fudge and the department heads had a rather busy week trying to fill all the sudden vacancies that had arisen.

This also had an effect on the Wizengamot as four Heads of Houses had been arrested and nobody in the family could take the seat as there were none without a mark. Two of those Houses had heirs without the mark that were too young and a proxy was announced. This meant Sirius would have a much easier time at the next meeting getting several bits of legislation through that had been waiting for such a moment.

Bill was indeed allowed to be Gringotts' representative at the searching of the vaults. He reported that it was slow but very interesting work. There were plenty of dark artifacts for him to identify and make sure they were safe. If they were illegal, Mad-Eye took them away, if not then Bill just put them at the back with a label on. They had started at the highest known followers but still had found nothing yet. It was that moment that Sirius remember he had the right to Bellatrix's vault as he had claimed back her dowry when he disowned her. He gave Bill permission to search her vault as well but to put all the gold and non dark artifacts in his own vault afterwards. Gringotts could do what they liked with everything else that wasn't illegal.

A week later, Sirius received a letter from Dumbledore saying that he was planning on going to see Slughorn in two days time and wondered if Harry would still be accompanying him. Sirius didn't want Harry spending any more time with Dumbledore than necessary after the last time they had spoken but Harry pointed out they needed the information and it shouldn't be dangerous. Sirius conceded this and sent a note back agreeing that Harry would meet Dumbledore at Hogwarts in two days time. He would wait at Hogwarts while the other two saw Slughorn then he would floo Harry back to Potter Manor.

They spent that two days doing more duelling practise. Sirius would sometimes try to surprised Harry by arriving late and turning the lights off upon entry, or being there very early and sending spells at him the second he walked through the door. It only took Harry a couple of sessions to know he had to have his wand at the ready before even going into the duelling room. Other times they would do proper duels by duelling competition standards. Harry rarely won these and Sirius tested his ingenuity to the limit. Thankfully, after spending some time with Fred and George, Harry could be really rather creative when he put his mind to it. They also used these duels as experiments whenever the twins came up with new products for the war front rather than just pranks. Peruvian instant darkness powder they found incredibly useful. Harry managed to surprise Sirius when he tested out their new shield gloves that were almost invisible and so blocked the jinx thrown at him, allowing him to stun his godfather in retaliation.

Two days later, Harry and Sirius flooed to the Headmaster's office met Dumbledore. He greeted them both and gestured for them to sit down.

"I have spoken to Professor Binns and Professor Snape. Professor Binns is willing to move on and so free up the post of History of Magic teacher. I was hoping Remus would still be willing while Severus will become Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor." Dumbledore informed them.

"I'll speak to Remus. I would think he will be happy to take the position." Sirius inclined his head.

"I trust the arrangements for him will remain the same?" Sirius nodded at that. "Very well then, Harry, we should be off." Harry stood. Dumbledore gripped Harry's arm and apparated them both to the outskirts of what looked like an old farmhouse.

"I thought you couldn't apparate out of Hogwarts." Harry commented once he was sure he wasn't going to throw up. He still wasn't used to apparition.

"Well, you see, being Headmaster does come with some privileges." Dumbledore smiled serenely at him. Then they both noticed the state of the house. It's front door was hanging off its hinges like it had been blasted out of the way. He noted there was no dark mark overhead but it didn't make him feel much better as Harry drew his wand. They carefully made their way forwards and entered the house. Inside was worse. Bookshelves were broken and books lay scattered all over the floor. The lights didn't work so Dumbledore lit his wand. As he looked around, Harry noticed the only bit of furniture that remained untouched was a large stuffed armchair. It looked in very good condition, even more highlighted given the state of the room. He pointed this out to the headmaster.

"Very good, Harry." He nodded. Then he poked the armchair with his wand and at once it transformed into an overweight, balding man.

"Ouch! That was rather unnecessary Albus." The man groaned.

"Good afternoon, Horace." Dumbledore greeted him happily. "Very impressive deception."

"Yes, well, I only had a minute." The man grumbled. "Who's this. Ah! I see what you're trying to do here Dumbledore, it won't work." He added, noticing Harry for the first time.

"Would you like some help putting this place back in order?" Dumbledore asked. Slughorn nodded and together they waved their wands and the room fixed itself in seconds. When that was done they turned to each other.

"I'm not coming back Dumbledore." He reiterated. Dumbledore excused himself to the bathroom and Harry hovered awkwardly, not really sure what to say to the stranger. "So you're the Chosen one then?" Slughorn asked. Harry shrugged.

"That's what they say." He replied shortly. He asked what Slughorn had taught at Hogwarts, despite knowing the answer, and conversation flowed slightly easier as Slughorn went on to talk about his past students. Harry did find it quite interesting but didn't particularly want t be a part of this little group, no matter how much it was required. However they then arrived at his mother.

"Very talented witch." Slughorn recalled fondly. "A very dab hand at Potions too."

"I've been reading some of her journals." Harry told him. He was very interested to hear about these when Dumbledore finally came back in. Harry noted Slughorn looking at him like he was calculating something and figured his work was done. He wasn't sure how he was going to put up with the man for an entire year but it was worth it given what they required from him. As he and Dumbledore made to leave, Slughorn called out that he would do it if he got a pay rise and a new office. Dumbledore simply chuckled and said he would see him on September 1st.

He congratulated Harry and asked what he thought of him. Harry's only response was he was much nicer than Snape. They arrived back at Hogwarts and told Sirius they had been successful. He grinned and then ushered Harry out of there as quickly as possible. Back at Potter manor they were surprised to find Remus waiting for them.

"I've only got a few days then I need to be off again. The werewolves are split at the moment. The majority want nothing to do with Voldemort, particularly given the new legislation that is coming in however there is a power struggle going on to fill Greyback's position. If a Voldemort supporter wins then we may have a similar situation to before on our hands. None of them have Greyback's particular fascination with children but they are equally vicious." His mouth twisted in bitter disgust at the end of his announcement. Sirius filled him in on the new staffing positions, asking if he would take the position of History of Magic professor. Remus agreed.

"Does this mean I have to take History of Magic for NEWT?" Harry mock groaned.

"Cheeky brat. No it doesn't." Remus told him. "I doubt I will have any NEWT classes, maybe 1 or 2 maximum. It's the OWL lot I'm concerned about." As he was talking the floo flared and Bill stepped into the room. They all looked around at him.

"I found it! Hufflepuff's cup was in Bellatrix's vault." He told them gleefully.

"What?" Sirius stood up in shock.

"The Goblins immediately disposed of it. One more down." He cried.

"Brilliant!" Remus whooped.

"We've finished the search now. That was the only one found but still, better than nothing. Good call, Harry." Bill smiled at him. They spent the rest of the night celebrating.

The next few days passed quietly, a few more low key Death Eater attacks took place. There had been several small attacks over the previous few weeks but no casualties and only a few severe injuries. The increased number of Aurors had managed to keep on top of the attacks so far until Monday when they attack a muggle school and killed several children before they could be stopped.

Harry kept up his training and he found he most enjoyed his sessions on curse breaking with Bill. He had taught him several spells to show if there were curses on an object and what type of curse they were. It was common for Bill to curse an item and leave it lying around for Harry to come across and check. The first time he had fallen for it he got a nasty burn but he became wiser after that. Bill had also taken to putting stuff in Harry's food or drink, making him cast detection spells on every meal. Bill was impressed at the speed with which Harry caught on.

Soon, it was drawing close to the end of summer. The book lists arrived and Harry made plans to go to Diagon Alley with Sirius on the last day of August. He had chosen to continue with Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes, Herbology, Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. He knew he was going to have a very full term but was looking forward to it. The best surprise was that he had been made Quidditch Captain. Sirius was delighted and insisted on buying Harry a full new set of Quidditch gear when they went shopping in celebration. When they arrived it was packed with students. In Flourish and Blotts he met Hermione and Neville who were discussing some extra reading for Herbology. He greeted them cheerfully but didn't stop for too long. Sirius helped him pick out a few extra books for his personal library as well.

Then they made their way to the apothecary where Harry replenished his own Potions kit and bought plenty of extras for his own brewing that he planned on keeping up. He had decided to keep a stock of healing potions and salves on him at all times after the Ministry ball. He met Ron outside Quality Quidditch Supplies where Ron was excited to hear he had been made Captain. Sirius did indeed buy him a whole new set of gear along with a Firebolt 10 that had just come out. When Harry protested that his Firebolt worked perfectly, Sirius waved this aside and said a Captain needs a new broom. He had grown out of his robes so they went down to Madam Malkins where they saw Draco Malfoy being fitted. Malfoy opened his mouth when he spotted Sirius behind Harry and closed it again. Madam Malkin accidentally caught him on his left arm and he jumped a mile high, causing Harry to become suspicious. Malfoy left without getting his robes and Sirius watched him all the way out of the shop. Narcissa had been waiting for him outside but he walked straight past her without stopping.

He dismissed this as Malfoy being angry his father was in Azkaban having broken out and been caught again. Once Harry's robes were done they went for ice cream before making their way to Fred and George's shop. It was absolutely bursting with Hogwarts students. Fred spotted Harry and Sirius, appearing at their side as soon as they came into the shop.

"Good morning!" He greeted them. He wore a purple dragonhide suit that made Harry want to avert his eyes ever so slightly.

"Hi Fred. Looks pretty good and busy in here." Sirius smiled at him.

"Yep. Been like this since we opened a month ago." He beamed back. "Well, you two know the drill. Pick up anything you want, free of charge, just let me or George scan it before you leave or the alarms will go off." He warned them with a laugh. He disappeared back into the crowd to deal with a customer. Sirius wandered off to look at the more serious section with shield hats and such like. Harry spotted Ron, Hermione and Ginny in a corner and made his way over.

"Hi Harry." Ginny smiled at him.

"Hey Ginny." He nodded. She showed him the Pygmy Puff she was looking at.

"Isn't he cute?"

"Erm...sure." He agreed vaguely, thinking it was only marginally cuter than Crookshanks. She beamed and went off to ask Mrs Weasley is she could have it. Ron showed him he pile of boxes he had picked up, including some Extendable Ears.

"You think your mum is going to let you buy all that?" Harry asked in amusement. Ron shrugged. Hermione was looking at the love potions. She asked aloud if they work and George appeared telling her they did, depending on certain variables. He then totalled up the boxes in Ron's hands and Ron protested he couldn't afford that much. George agreed to knock a knut off. Ron swore but was overheard by Mrs Weasley who decided it was time for them all to be getting home. Harry made his way through the crowd to find Sirius and finally spotted him talking to Amelia Bones in the back.

"Hello, Harry." Amelia greeted him.

"Hi Amelia." He nodded back. "Susan having fun?" He asked.

"She's in her element. These twins really are very clever." She smiled. They chatted some more and Sirius kissed her hand upon departure. They were just leaving the shop when Harry spotted Daphne, Astoria and their parents walking down the street. He waved them over and the two families greeted each other. Daphne and her mother both hugged Harry while Daniel shook his hand. Harry asked if he and Daphne could go and get some ice cream together to which Daniel and Sirius agreed.

"Meet us in the Leaky Cauldron in an hour for lunch." Sirius told them both. They nodded and began to make their way back up Diagon Alley. Despite having written to each other over the past few weeks, they hadn't been able to see much of each other. They spent a while catching up and discussing what subjects they would both be taking next year. Daphne was continuing with Astronomy, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy and Potions. He told her about having Slughorn back to teach Potions and Snape moving on to DADA.

"My father has mentioned him. Do you know what he is like?" She asked curiously. He told her of his first impression of Slughorn and what Sirius had told him.

"Has your father decided on a suitor for you yet?" He asked teasingly, knowing full well she would have ranted to him about it if a betrothal had been agreed for her. She scowled.

"No. He keeps mentioning it though." Harry studied her for a second before gathering his courage and blurting out.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" She looked at him in astonishment. "It might help keep our father off your back." He added hopefully. She paused and looked at him curiously. He thought his heart might beat out of his chest when she finally smiled slightly.

"Yes. I would like that." Harry grinned wildly. She gave him a small smile in return.

"We should be heading back." She noted. He nodded and they both stood. Harry paid for the ice creams and they started to head to the Leaky Cauldron. On the way, he nervously reached out and took her hand. She raised an amused eyebrow at him but they held hands all the way to the pub. When they arrived, he theatrically held the door open for her and gestured for her to go in first. She rolled her eyes before going in. They quickly spotted the Greengrasses and Sirius at the back of the pub. Sitting down opposite each other, they greeted the others and Tom came over to take their orders. Sirius asked how their date had been, causing Harry to go slightly red. Sirius noted this and raised an eyebrow at his godson. Harry looked over at Daphne who nodded slightly.

"Daphne and I are dating." He announced. None of the adults looked particularly surprised but they were all pleased for the couple and said as much. Sirius clapped Harry on the back.

"Congratulations. I wondered if you were going to do it." He winked. Harry kicked him under the table. They had a very pleasant lunch and then it was time to depart. Harry kissed Daphne's cheek as they said goodbye and they agreed to meet on the platform the next day.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Back to School

"Harry, you're going to be late!" Sirius' voice came from the bottom of the stairs. Harry groaned and flicked his wand again. The things in his trunk wriggled feebly but still did not pack themselves neatly. Sirius had been teaching him some household charms but he still struggled with some of them. His door opened and Remus came in. He took in the sight of Harry's messy trunk in amusement.

"Still having trouble?" He laughed.

"Oh shut up." Harry rolled his eyes. He tried once more, concentrating hard and finally everything flew out of the trunk and repacked itself neatly. "Thank god." He sighed. He had been trying for over ten minutes.

"Well done." Remus complimented. Harry grinned and then grabbed his trunk so the two of them could make their way downstairs. Sirius was waiting impatiently, tapping his foot and constantly looking at his golden watch.

"Finally." He sighed when the duo emerged from Harry's room.

"Relax Padfoot. We've got half an hour yet." Harry smirked. The trio left Potter Manor and walked down the winding path to the front gate. Once outside the gate, Remus took Harry's trunk and disapparated. Sirius then grabbed Harry and followed. A few seconds later they emerged onto Platform 9 ¾. Harry staggered sideways slightly.

"I'm never going to get used to that." He complained.

"You will pup. Eventually." Sirius laughed. Remus helped Harry put his trunk on the train. He picked the end compartment and the adults both smiled nostalgically. " We always picked this compartment." He told Harry, having seen his confused expression. "Everybody knew this was the Marauder compartment."

"I'm guessing if they didn't they found out quickly enough." Harry grinned. Remus smirked while Sirius nodded happily. They emerged back onto the platform just in time for The Greengrasses to arrive and spot them. Astoria said a quick goodbye to her parents before running off to find her friends. Daphne gave Harry a hug before greeting Sirius and Remus. Harry took Daphne's trunk and put in the compartment while the adults chatted. Once they were alone he stole a quick kiss that made Daphne flush slightly. Harry grinned wickedly as they went back outside to find more of their friends. Neville came over with Susan and Hannah at his side. Susan dropped her trunk off and said hello before disappearing off to the prefect carriage.

A few minutes later the Weasleys all arrived. Fred and George had come to see Ron and Ginny off. Harry was glad Ron was so oblivious and missed Harry holding Daphne's hand. Ginny however didn't and she stared between the two for a few seconds before shrugging and smiling at them albeit a little sadly.

"See you guys later, I gotta go to the prefect meeting." Ron sighed.

"Yes, you go Ronny. I still don't understand why you weren't made prefect Ginny. No doubt that is your influence boys." Molly glared at the twins. Ginny and Harry exchanged eye rolls and grinned at each other.

"We're so proud of you Gin. Nice to have a sibling not to be ashamed of." George winked at her. She laughed and Molly turned to tell the twins off again. Ginny made her escape and went to find some of her friends, saying a quick goodbye to Harry, Daphne, Sirius and Remus. Sirius hugged Harry, followed by Remus.

"See you at Christmas." Sirius promised. Harry nodded before saying goodbyes to the Greengrasses and the twins. He, Daphne, Neville and Hannah all got into the compartment. The train moved off and they sat around discussing their summers. Neville and Hannah had become an official couple over the summer themselves. Harry thought it was about time. Neither of them were bothered by Harry and Daphne, giving the couple their best wishes and congratulations. They had spent all the last year cautiously flirting and often went to Hogsmeade together. Then the compartment door opened and Justin came in, followed by Luna.

"Hey guys. Harry, I got a note from Professor Slughorn for you." Justin said, looking slightly confused. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. Harry unrolled it and, as expected, it was an invitation to have lunch in Slughorn's compartment.

"Sorry guys. I've got to go to this." He groaned. He squeezed Daphne's hand before exiting the compartment just as Ernie and Ron came in, having just been released from Prefect duty. He said a quick hello to them before moving off down the train. In Slughorn's compartment stood a crowd of students already. Thankfully, Harry spotted Susan hovering in one corner with Ginny, Hermione and Terry Boot. He snuck over to join them.

"Hey Harry." Susan smiled.

"Hey guys." He nodded to all of them. Unfortunately Slughorn spotted him at that point.

"Harry m'boy." He called cheerily. "Glad you could make it. Did you know Miss Weasley here can produce a rather vicious bat bogey hex?" He beamed jovially. "Quite a talent there." Harry raised an eyebrow at her and she grinned in a manner eerily like Fred and George.

"Malfoy came into our compartment and wouldn't leave without some encouragement." Harry laughed.

"I wondered why he hadn't come to bother me yet."

"I must introduce you to some people." Slughorn smiled.

"Of course, Professor." Harry turned back to Slughorn who put his hand on his shoulder and guided him around the room, introducing him to various people. He nodded politely at Blaise Zabini and a few other people he already knew. A boy called Marcus Belby was too busy trying to shove as much food into his mouth as possible to really say hello. Everyone their was the child of someone important in the Wizengamot or a wealthy businessman. The 'party' lasted another couple of hours before Slughorn decided that they all needed to get changed before arriving at Hogwarts. Harry and Susan made their way to their chosen compartment. Once they got their all the girls went into the empty compartment next door to get changed while the boys stayed there. Neville and Ernie asked Harry what it was like.

"Boring really." He shrugged. Soon they arrived at Hogsmeade station and Hagrid's familiar voice called out for the first years.

"'Ello 'Arry." He called loudly as he spotted Harry getting out of the carriage.

"Hi Hagrid." He yelled back. There was too much noise for any other conversation. Harry, Daphne, Susan, Justin, Neville and Hannah climbed into one carriage together while the others all got into a second one. The ride up was uneventful as it was thankfully a clear night. Harry said goodbye to Daphne before heading to the Gryffindor table with Neville. Ron slid into the seat on his other side a few seconds later. They talked about their summers while the sorting took place, stopping to cheer when there was a new Gryffindor. Finally Dumbledore stood up and silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. This year we have a few staffing changes. Firstly, Professor Binns has now moved on. History of Magic will now be taken by Professor Lupin." Remus stood up and there was an incredibly loud cheer. People across all four tables stood, clapping and shouting. Even the Slytherins were pleased Binns had gone even if they weren't as thrilled with Remus teaching again.

"That's brilliant!" Ron yelled in Harry's ear.

"Yes, yes, I'm glad to see you all so cheerful Professor Lupin is back." Dumbledore chuckled. "Now, Professor Slughorn will be taking over Potions." This time the reaction was far more muted but there were still cheers from three houses. Slughorn stood and gave a small bow to the Hall. He sat back down and the clapping died down. "Finally, Professor Snape has agreed to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts." The Slytherins burst into loud applause and catcalls. Snape stood and gave a smug smile towards his house. Almost everybody else looked unhappy but clapped a little anyway. Snape sat back down and Dumbledore stepped forward once again. "Tuck in!" He called. Food suddenly appeared on the tables. Everybody began digging in with gusto.

Around him, Ron and Katie wanted him to discuss upcoming Quidditch trials as they needed to replace over half the team. He promised them he would hold trials soon but they would be for the whole team this time, neither of them would keep their place just because they were there last year. Katie was understanding and nodded like this made sense, Ron was much angrier. He didn't think he had a particularly good chance of getting back on the team and privately, Harry agreed. Ron could be good but he let nerves get in the way too much. Harry didn't want himself or his Chasers to be under the constant pressure of scoring enough to keep up with Ron's mistakes. Especially if two thirds of the Chasers would be new to the team. However he just shrugged.

"Sorry Ron, but I think it's about time to hold a full team trial. There hasn't actually been one since I joined the team and loads of people haven't had a chance to show how good they are." Neville then joined in to ask what subjects Harry planned on continuing.

"Potions, Defence, Charms, Herbology, Transfiguration, Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes." Harry told him.

"Really? You're taking Creatures?" Ron and Neville looked at him incredulously. Harry nodded quite happily.

"Yeah, Bill told me it would be useful for curse breaking to know about various magical creatures. Plus I find them interesting." He explained with a shrug.

"Yeah but Hagrid?" Ron asked. "Love the bloke, not exactly a brilliant teacher is he?" Harry ignored this.

"What about you Neville?"

"I'm keeping Herbology, Charms, Defence, Transfiguration, Arithmancy and Astronomy." He smiled. "Thanks to you I managed to get an E in my Transfiguration. I'm not sure Professor McGonagall takes anyone below that."

"How did you do in the rest of your OWLs?" Harry asked curiously.

"I got an O in Herbology, Es in Astronomy, Transfiguration, Charms, Defence and Arithmancy, As in Creatures and Potions and Ps in Divination and History. What about you two?" Harry told him his results.

"I got Es in Creatures, Herbology, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Defence, A in Astronomy, P in History and D in Divination. So I'm continuing with Defence, Potions, Herbology, Charms and Transfiguration." Ron told them.

"Nice one Ron." Harry grinned. "Surprised you're doing Potions though."

"Well I didn't think I'd get in if Snape was teaching but apparently that Slughorn bloke lets us in with an E rather than an O so I'm keeping it. Bill told me it will be useful really." Ron looked like he was unconvinced about that fact. Finally the dinner food vanished and dessert appeared. Harry dived for the treacle tart before shovelling it down at an alarming rate making the other two laugh. Conversation died down again while people ate. Finally everyone finished and Dumbledore stood to dismiss them. Harry, Ron and Neville made their way to Gryffindor tower where Ron thankfully knew the password. They had a quick game of exploding snap before deciding they were all ready for bed.

The next morning, Harry woke early and headed down to breakfast having agreed to meet Daphne. They knew they would draw plenty of unwanted attention now they were dating and had agreed not to even bother hiding their relationship. Daphne was already waiting for him and they both headed towards the Slytherin table to eat breakfast. This raised eyebrows with the few people already in the Hall, particularly the teachers. They chatted about their upcoming classes as more and more people came in. All of Harry's friends waved at him and Daphne but others gawked very openly. He could hear the mutterings about Gryffindor golden boy sitting with the Slytherin Ice Queen. Rolling his eyes at them all, Harry looked at Daphne with a smirk and she eyed him warily.

"What are you thinking? That look never means anything good." She asked him.

"Whatever do you mean?" Harry asked. She raised an eyebrow in a 'you're not fooling me' kind of way and he laughed. Then he took her and and kissed her on the cheek before standing up. Those who had been staring almost all did double takes.

"And hear I thought you had standards Greengrass." Came a drawling voice from behind Harry.

"I do Malfoy or it would be you I'm dating." Daphne retorted cooly. People around them sniggered and twin patches of pale pink appeared on his cheeks.

"I'd better go, McGonagall is about to hand out timetables." Harry told her, ignoring the boy behind him. She nodded and his kissed her hand before heading over to the Gryffindor table. Glancing up at the staff table he realised Snape was there looking absolutely disgusted while Remus was trying not to laugh. Harry winked up at Remus and sat down between Neville and Ginny.

"What was that about?" Neville asked. Ginny was moodily stabbing at her bacon.

"People are going to realise we are dating quickly enough. Might as well announce it early." Harry sniggered. "Besides, Snape's face was totally worth it." McGonagall arrived and confirmed both Harry and Neville could take the subjects they had applied for, tapping two blank pieces of parchment and handing them to the boys. Harry saw he had Magical Creatures first while Neville had a free period.

"I forgot we have free periods this year." Ron grinned happily as he sat down opposite Harry.

"They are for you to complete the amount of extra homework you will be receiving, Mr Weasley." McGonagall looked down at him sternly.

"Yes Professor." He nodded. After breakfast, Harry made his way down to Hagrid's house. As he had suspected he was the only person to have taken on Care of Magical Creatures to NEWT level.

"'Arry." Hagrid greeted, looking miserable. "Not much point yeh being 'ere. One student indeed." He muttered unhappily.

"Aww, come on Hagrid. It'll be fun." Harry smiled at his friend. Hagrid looked unconvinced but perked up a little when Harry drew him into a discussion about different types of dragons. By the end of an hour Hagrid looked much happier about the prospect of only having one student. As he was leaving, Hagrid told him to pick any creature from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them or the Monster Book of Monsters for them to study in the next lesson. Whichever creature he picked, he had to do a labelled drawing of it. Harry nodded and headed back up to the castle, grinning. Next he had Transfiguration where he met up with all his friends. He told them all what had happened in his Creatures lesson.

"Well, at least you get to pick what to study." Neville noted.

"The Thestrals weren't too bad last year." Ron shrugged.

"Other than the Blast Ended Screwts he hasn't been that bad. And the Flobberworms but that was Malfoy's fault for trying to get Buckbeak killed just because he didn't listen." Harry pointed out. "We've met far worse of Hagrid's pets outside of class."

"Definitely true." Ron agreed with a shudder. Just then Professor McGonagall opened the door and ushered them all inside. Harry noticed a definite increase in the difficulty of the work however, due to the fact McGonagall had been teaching him battle transfiguration all summer, it was easier than he expected. During break, Harry flicked through his Magical Creatures book trying to think of something interesting to study. By the time the bell went he still hadn't decided. He was slightly worried Hagrid would want to try and study Acromantula as he had specimens on hand and Harry definitely didn't want to do that. He had seen more than enough of those for a lifetime. He met up with Daphne outside the dungeons as they waited for Potions. This time Ron did notice what was going on, having missed the scene at breakfast.

"Harry? Why are you holding her hand?" He asked.

"Daphne and I are together." Harry replied casually.

"You're dating a...a…?" Ron stammered.

"A what Ronald?" He asked coldly.

"A snake!" Ron burst out angrily.

"Yes. I am dating someone from Slytherin. Well noticed. Problem?" Ron looked at Harry's calm expression to Daphne's haughty one and let out a huff.

"Whatever. At least it's not Parkinson." Harry snorted.

"Pansy has far better taste." Malfoy sneered, having just arrived.

"Yeah, the son of a disgraced Death Eater is really great taste." Daphne rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised you don't have queues of girls after you. Doesn't everyone want a criminal for a father in law?"

"Watch it Greengrass!" He snarled.

"Or what? You'll sneer at me some more?" She raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I'm sure it's killing you not being able to say 'wait until my father hears about this'." She imitated Draco's voice rather accurately. Everyone in the corridor laughed and Malfoy flushed angrily. He was about to retort when the dungeon door opened and Slughorn appeared.

"Ah! Come in. Come in." He beamed as they filed into the classroom. Daphne set up her cauldron at a table with Ron, Harry and Ernie. Hermione sat with the two Ravenclaws while the Slytherins took the last table for themselves. Slughorn showed them some cool potions before offering a small bottle of Felix Felicis as a reward for the best brewed Draught of Living Death. Harry immediately got started. Lily Potter's journal had had quite a few alterations to this particular potion and he had a bit of trouble remembering them all which meant he didn't complete the potion. He did however get very close. Daphne and Hermione weren't too far behind but his was clearly the best and he was awarded the bottle by Slughorn after lots of proclaiming he was definitely his mother's son. Harry tried very hard not to retort that it was rather obvious he was his mother's son but settled for thanking the Professor and leaving the room. He was supposed to be playing nice.

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly as he had a free period after Potions and another after lunch. He finally settled on a Gryphon to study with Hagrid and drew the diagram required before heading to the library to get started on the complicated essay Professor McGonagall had assigned. Daphne found him there just after lunch and they settled down to work together as they had many times before. Slughorn had also set an essay so Daphne got started on that, occasionally about something in Harry's Potions journal, most of which he could tell her without even looking it up. By dinner they had both completed their respective essays and made their way down to the Great Hall. Ron was already there and telling everybody who would listen, which wasn't exactly many people, how he had spent his free time practising for the Quidditch tryouts. Harry sat down next to Ginny as it was the only free seat. They chatted easily about their respective days and he reflected how much nicer it was being able to hold a conversation with her when she wasn't blushing or stammering the whole time.

"So have you decided when tryouts will be? I think I want to try for Chaser." Ginny told him.

"Probably the second weekend of term." He replied. "I didn't know you played."

"I frequently stole my brother's brooms and practised at home." She confided with a smirk. He grinned. After dinner Harry went up to the dormitory to mirror call Sirius as he had been too tired the night before.

"Hey pup." Sirius grinned at him through the mirror.

"Hey Padfoot. I was wondering, are we still do family dinners on Fridays as Remus is teaching again?"

"I think so. Best double check with Remus though. He gets tetchy when I come through without permission." Sirius grinned happily.

"So you'll be here Friday whether he says yes or not?"

"Exactly." They chatted for about half an hour before Harry said goodnight and went down to the common room. He and Ron had an exploding snap tournament with Neville, Ginny and Dean who was apparently dating Ginny. This made Ron rather desperate to beat Dean whatever way possible but didn't end very well for him and he ended up losing both his eyebrows. Finally they all bade each other goodnight and Harry had a blissfully dreamless sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Planning

Friday evening rolled around and Harry happily made his way up to Remus' quarters for dinner instead of the Great Hall. Sirius was already there and both of them were laughing heartily when Harry strode in. They greeted him as he sat in the armchair that had become his over the previous term. Shortly after, a House-Elf popped in with trays of food into which they all dug in with gusto.

"How's teaching History?" Harry asked. Remus let out an exasperated sigh.

"It's mostly damage control at the moment. Everybody is so far behind. Thankfully, as expected, I have no NEWT students. I will be holding study sessions on some evenings for those who wish to retake their OWL and for fifth years who are very far behind. It's worse than trying to clear up after Lockhart." He complained.

"Well Lockhart only ruined one year. Binns ruined decades." Sirius pointed out fairly. "We would have failed if you weren't such a bookworm who insisted on making us study."

"I might give those study sessions a miss." Harry looked apologetically at Remus.

"Somehow I thought you might." He said dryly. "Don't worry, I know you're taking more NEWT subjects than most people and your workload will rack up rather quickly." Harry grinned.

"You make it sound like it hasn't already. Every single teacher has started their first lesson with a lecture about how hard the next two years will be. Oh how I miss being an innocent second year." He added mock wistfully. Both adults laughed.

"It'll be over before you know it." Sirius assured him, ruffling his hair playfully. They spent the evening playing games and chatting. Remus helped Harry out with another labelled drawing for Hagrid that needed doing. Although Remus specialised in Dark Creatures, he knew an awful lot about most other creatures too and was a great help.

The Saturday of the second weekend of term was the day of the Quidditch trials. Harry ran through similar tests that had been done the year before. As she had said, Ginny was indeed a fine flyer, easily earning herself a spot as Chaser. Katie also flew excellently and returned to the team. A fourth year called Kenneth Chambers earned the last spot just outflying a girl called Demelza Robins. Harry asked her to stay behind as she would be a spare Chaser, training with the team in case one member was injured. He knew Ginny could play a backup seeker if he himself was the one unable to take part.

Doing the Beater tryout next, Harry was pleased with the two new recruits at the end of three painful hours. Josh Mann was a third year, tall and broad for his age with a fine aim. Lillie May was also a third year. She looked far too fragile to be a Beater but they all soon found that assumptions were dangerous as Lillie whizzed around the pitch almost like a third Bludger. Her aim was fantastic and she had a mighty swing for someone so small. She also worked very well with Josh, the duo took instantly to each other and formed a very good partnership.

When it came to the Keeper tryouts, Harry felt almost as nervous as Ron looked. Despite them not being quite as close as they used to be they were still good friends and he did not want to have to tell Ron that he was no longer Keeper. Though he would have no choice if someone else did better. A large seventh year with an even bigger attitude did rather well, saving four penalties out of five, making Harry even more nervous. He was considering turning the guy down even if he did the best out of everyone simply because he could not keep his mouth shut. Katie whispered to him that the bloke was Cormac McLaggen and nobody in their year could stand him because he was always boasting. However, Ron thankfully saved all five shots meaning he retained the position of Keeper. A bright fourth year, Edward Short, also saved four and Harry told him he would be the reserve Keeper. McLaggen put up a large fuss at this but Harry firmly told him that as a Seventh year he would be focused on NEWTs and would be leaving the team after a year. It was better for the team as a whole to have a younger member who had done equally well.

Later, Harry learned from Katie that McLaggen had complained to McGonagall about it who had firmly told him that as the Captain, Harry's choice was final and she trusted his judgement. That did explain the dirty looks McLaggen had been giving him in the Common room every time they were both there at the same time. As it was still early in the year they didn't start team practises for another few weeks but Harry did have a few team meetings where they could get to know each other better as only he, Katie and Ron had ever played together before. He also tried to coach Ron on how to play through his nerves. Ginny had agreed to do some extra practise with just Harry and Ron before full team training began and it did seem to help a little. Ron still got flustered when he made a mistake but he was able to pull himself back together provided he didn't make another immediately afterwards.

Lessons were getting more challenging as the weeks went by and Harry found himself enjoying the challenge. The DA still met but there was no longer such pressure to learn Defence by themselves and it became more of a study group. The NEWT and OWL students got to practise spells and the younger groups got to see advanced magic in action as well as learn more advanced spells than they would in lessons. Harry, Neville and the others were careful not to teach them stuff that was far too advanced. In this Hermione was a great help, recalling advice McGonagall had given her on not practising things too advanced for her and how to tell if she could manage or not.

Harry was pleased that Snape had not bothered him in the Defence lessons. Whether finally getting his desired position made him marginally happier or the threat of Sirius and Remus combined stopped him, Harry wasn't sure but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It turned out Snape was actually a capable teacher when he took a break from insulting students long enough to teach. He did keep his favourite method of just giving them a spell to practise without any advice first or showing them how it was done but when it came to the theory he clearly knew a lot.

Hagrid had tried to convince Harry that studying Acromantula would be a good idea as there were specimens on hand but Harry had put his foot down citing a fear of spiders as a reason not to see them in person. It wasn't exactly a lie. He did have a very healthy fear of those particular spiders and no desire to see them again. Hagrid wasn't too happy but agreed they could just study them from the book instead of visiting the colony. Ron went a pale green colour as Harry recounted that particular conversation to him and Neville.

As the first Quidditch match of the season approach the atmosphere around Hogwarts grew excited and charged. As usual it would be Slytherin versus Gryffindor. The day before the game, Harry heard the Malfoy had pulled out sick and Gordon Kipp was going to take his place. This did not tally with the same Malfoy who faked an injury and got the entire game changed so that his team wouldn't have to play in a storm. A quick check to the Hospital Wing confirmed he wasn't there so it wasn't anything serious enough to require medication. A fierce curiosity burned in him at this but he wasn't sure what to do about it. He would be at the game and couldn't find out what Malfoy would be doing while the castle was empty. Nor did he want to tell Remus given that he had nothing really to go on and no idea as to what Malfoy could be doing. Thinking quickly, he pulled Daphne aside on Saturday morning before the game. He told her his suspicions and she looked equally surprised given that Malfoy had not been ill at all the day before. Their Captain hadn't questioned him when he said he wasn't well enough to play but he had attended all his lessons and been at dinner. Harry gave her the Marauder's Map and told her to keep an eye on Malfoy.

"Where on Earth did you get this?" Daphne asked him.

"I have to run but I got it from the twins. Originally my dad made it with Remus and Sirius." He told her, not adding on the last name, She looked down at the four names written on the parchment and decided not to comment.

"I take it you want me to hide it from the rest of my house?" She asked drly.

"Most certainly." He agreed, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She nodded to him and he rushed off to the changing rooms. The rest of the team gave him surprised looks as he dashed into the room so late that they were all already dressed. He just shrugged and muttered something about Daphne. Ron and Katie gave him knowing smirks. He pulled his gear on.

"You've all trained spectacularly so far, let's put that to good use and thrash those Snakes!" The team let out a roar of approval and Harry led them out onto the pitch. It was a cold, clear day with almost perfect Quidditch conditions. He shook the Slytherin Captain's hand who, as usual, tried to squish his rather than actually shake it. Then Madam Hooch got the game started. Harry felt the familiar rush of excitement run through him and he forgot about Malfoy. He forgot about everything except finding the snitch. He caught a glimpse of gold as it was released from the box but soon lost it.

"Weasley to Chambers. Chambers neatly ducks around Troy and makes a clean pass back to Weasley. She advances on the Keeper. Nice dummy, GRYFFINDOR SCORE!" Whoever the new commentator was, Harry found him very dull compared to Lee Jordan who had graduated at the end of last year. With no bias or flirtatious comments towards the Chasers it wasn't particularly worth listening to except to hear the score. The extra training was clearly helping Ron, as was the chanting from the Gryffindor end with their own version of Weasley is our King. The score reached 100-30 with no sign of the snitch and the Slytherin Seeker had taken on Malfoy's favourite tactic of marking him rather than looking for the snitch on his own.

Harry did take time to admire how the team were working so seamlessly together they could have been playing for years as a unit. Kenneth, Ginny and Katie hadn't quite reached the fluidity of the previous trio but they weren't far off. Lillie and Josh easily had a similar partnership to Fred and George even if they weren't quite there with the skill. Ron was becoming more comfortable distributing the Quaffle to his Chasers, occasionally even yelling out a pass none of them had spotted. Given his strategic mind, it provided valuable insight.

As he was observing this unity, Harry spotted a flash of gold at the foot of the Gryffindor goalpost. Checking over his shoulder he saw Kipp watching him like a hawk but he was on the opposite side, closer to the Slytherin end. Happy with that, Harry turned back and dived towards the speck of gold that had now moved slightly higher. Kipp took off after him immediately but there was no contest. Harry's Firebolt was much too quick and he was a much better flyer. He had a massive lead and his fingers were about to close around the Snitch when there was a thump behind him. He caught it and looked back. Josh had caught Kipp in the back of the head with a solid thump on a Bludger. He looked rather pleased with himself, even more so when Lillie flew over and pulled him into an excited hug. The three Chasers and Ron flew over to congratulate Harry.

"Nice catch!" Ron called.

"Gryffindor win 270-50!" The commentator called out to loud applause and cheers, mixed with a few groans.

"Party in the common room!" Ginny yelled into his ear. He nodded to show he heard and the team made their way to the showers.

Once he was clean and dressed, Harry made his way to find Daphne. As expected she was waiting for him in their spot in the Library. He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes well played." She sighed.

"Thanks." He grinned wider. "So, did you see anything?" He asked, turning serious.

"Malfoy disappeared off the map somewhere on the seventh floor just after the game started. I think he went into the Room of Requirement. He didn't emerge until about five minutes before you caught the Snitch." She told him.

"I wonder what was so important in there that he had to do it when the whole school was outside? And why he had to miss Quidditch for it?"

"Well there is quite often people from the DA in there studying. It's not like we have fixed days as such anymore." Daphne shrugged. "Maybe he needed a time he could be sure it was empty."

"Possibly." Harry mused. "I'll have to keep an eye out. If he's up to something, I doubt it's good."

"I'll keep an ear out." Daphne assured him.

"Be careful." He advised. She rolled her eyes.

"Please. I know how Slytherin works by now." She told him firmly.

"Well, I have a party to attend. I'll catch you for a study session tomorrow usual time and place?" He asked. She nodded. As they were alone he pulled her into a hug and kissed her hair. When they broke apart she handed him the map back.

"Useful map that." She noted with a smirk that usually meant she was planning something.

"Very." He agreed. With that they parted ways and Harry sped up to Gryffindor tower. The party was already in full swing but nobody seemed to have missed him. He was unsure who had taken over the twins' role of smuggling in food and drink but someone clearly had. Until he realised that the food provided wasn't just the usual haul of just sweets that the twins brought. It was full of sandwiches and other various foods not normally present. Neville told him later it was Dobby's doing at the request of Sirius who thought that win deserved a proper party. The usual haul of sweets was there but in a lower quantity than usual.

Sunday meant making up for the days worth of homework they had missed. Which was a lot. Harry had three essays due in on Monday, all of which he had finished but still needed to go over and correct any mistakes as one was for McGonagall and one was for Snape. The other was for Hagrid and so considered slightly less important. Most of the day was spent in the Library with Neville, Hannah, Susan, Justin, Ernie and Daphne. Once he had all his work done that was due in the next three days, Harry took a break to stare longingly out of the window. The fine weather was dying out as November dragged on and it was one of the few remaining sunny days that were reasonably warm. He convinced the others to spend the rest of the afternoon outside.

Over the next few weeks, Harry kept a close eye on the map. Malfoy made frequent visits to the Room of Requirement, often for hours at a time. However, he knew how tricky the room could be and he would have to be sneaky about trailing him. He decided that next time he saw Malfoy making his way there he would take the cloak and try to follow him in. He often had Crabbe and Goyle standing outside as guards but hopefully if they couldn't see him they couldn't stop him. He debating whether jinxing them both would cause enough distraction to slip past Malfoy into the room he was asking for but figured Malfoy would just close the door immediately. He may be annoying but he wasn't completely stupid, unlike the other two.

Once, when he knew Malfoy was in the room, he made his way to the seventh floor under the cloak. The map said Crabbe and Goyle were standing outside but instead of two hulking sixth years, Harry only saw two girls who were possibly in their first, maybe second year. Malfoy must have some Polyjuice.

He had passed that bit of news onto Daphne who had promised to try and find a way to have his stash discovered by a teacher. It would be hard to continue his plans if he were in permanent detention. Despite all the recon and Daphne keeping a look out, they were still no closer to figuring out what Malfoy was actually doing while he was in the room. At best Daphne had overhead some arguments where Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem too happy about continually turning into girls. Harry found he didn't blame them on that front.

Meanwhile, he didn't seem to be getting anywhere with Slughorn. The man had had a few parties since the one on the train. Harry attended each one faithfully with Daphne as his date. They were dreadfully dull and Harry found he had little time to talk to Slughorn himself. His reputation as a wonderful potion maker seemed to be having far more of an effect than attending the stupid gatherings but he still had no idea how to even broach the topic. He finally decided on starting a conversation based on his mother's Potion journals. Some part he didn't understand properly and slip it in somehow. Just casually, like 'Thanks for explaining that Professor, so, did you tell Voldemort anything about Horcruxes'. He snorted at his own ridiculousness. His little parties often had some amount of wine or firewhisky, maybe having Slughorn a little tipsy would help. Harry decided to act after the Christmas party that had been spoken about. He had hoped to avoid that one but it seemed like the best time where the most amount of alcohol would be available.

He discussed this plan with Sirius and Remus and they agreed it would be his best bet, but left time enough for him to hopefully repair any damage if it went wrong. Harry tried not to dwell on that possibility. Daphne told him that Slughorn loved crystalized pineapple and he made a note to get some for the Professor for Christmas. Anything that could help him get the Professor on side. All in all, Harry could not wait for the Christmas holidays when this horrible plan would hopefully be over.


	26. Chapter 26

Hi all,

Sorry, I'm sure you were all hoping for a chapter and this will probably disappoint you some more. I won't be continuing this fic for a while, possibly forever. Real life sucks at the moment and every time I think about coming to write this story I just can't be bothered. I may pick up again at some point, or if anybody would like to continue this instead of me then please PM me. Please don't just take this and continue it without asking first. I really appreciate the support throughout this story and you guys have kept me motivated enough to get this far but it's not enough anymore I' afraid. I will be continuing my Doctor Who story though. Thank you for everything.

Lorixjake


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